In Her Grasp
by Huntress of Light
Summary: *Sequel to "Turtles of Olympus"* When the turtles are captured by the Purple Dragons, they encounter a strange girl who is literally thrown into their lives. What is her story? Why is she so desperate for their help? And just WHAT has come over Donnie?
1. Captured

**Hello peeps :) So, I tried this whole "sequel" thing once before, and I got to thinking...where was I going with it? Anywho, this is my second attempt at a sequel, and hopefully it'll progress a little better. If you haven't read my other story "Turtles of Olympus" yet, a few things may not make sense in this story. I suggest you read it, iffin ya want :) So, here it is, my sequel. I own nothing but my OC's and the plotline. Enjoy!**

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><p><em>How did this happen?<em> He thought. One minute, he and his brothers were beating up on some Purple Dragons. The next...nothing. Just blackness. Even when he opened his eyes, that's all he saw.

He raised his hands to rub his eyes, to make sure he wasn't blindfolded. As he found nothing but his normal mask, he noted with satisfaction that their captors had failed to bind his hands. His eyes adjusted to the lack of light, and Donatello saw that his brothers were in the same general area with him. All their weapons had been taken from them, and they were bruised up a little, but they were alive. They were just beginnning to stir, and he felt his way over to them.

"Whoa," Mikey groaned. "What happened?"

"Where are we?" Leo asked softly.

"Dunno," Don answered. "I can't tell because it's so dark." On the word 'dark', the lights were suddenly cut on. Don yelped as the light hurt his eyes, listening to his brothers' equally startled cries. Blinking away the pain, Donnie took in his surroundings.

He and his brothers had been put in a cell, complete with bars and everything. There were only three walls of bars, the fourth wall being made of a cold, gray stone. This made up the back wall, and it faced the cell door. The floor was made of smooth concrete, and Don noticed a few stains here and there that looked suspiciously like dried blood.

Don took the opportunity to look over his brothers while they had light. He checked them over to make sure they weren't suffering from any major wounds. Raph had a bump on his head and a gash in his arm that wasn't too deep; it had already stopped bleeding. Leo was fine (or so he said), so Don turned his attention to the youngest. When he approached and touched Mikey's arm, the orange-banded turtle yelped and jerked away from Don, cradling his left arm against his plastron. Don noticed the odd angle at which his wrist was bent, and he sighed.

"Mike, if its broken, I'm going to have to set it."

"With what?" Mikey asked him, almost hysterical. "They took your bag-o-tricks, too."

Don looked around and realized it was true. He cursed silently, also noticing what he hadn't before. The cell was painfully bare. There wasn't even a bed with sheets that he could use to make a makeshift splint for his brother's arm. Mikey would have to wait until they got out of there...wherever "there" was.

"Hey, freaks!" a gruff voice called. The brothers looked up to see a group of Purple Dragons approaching their cell. Don and Leo stood, ready to fend off an attack if needed, while Raph helped Mikey to sit against the back wall. The leader of the small group approached the bars and scoffed.

"Relax," he told them. "I'm jus' bringin' ya yer new cell mate." He laughed coldly as the group unveiled a limp figure held between them. Don fought hard to keep the shock off his face, and he glanced at Leo to see if he was feeling the same thing. Leo had narrowed his eyes at the thugs, and his fists clenched. He was definitely feeling the same things as Donatello.

Long strawberry-blonde hair obscured the figure's face, but the body gave away that the human was female. She was wearing a white tank top and skin-tight short black shorts. She was small, both in form and stature, but something about her made Donnie think she was more of a young woman than a girl.

The lead thug pulled out a gun and trained it on the turtles as he unlocked the cell door.

"No funny bi'ness," he commanded. He stepped aside to allow the group to toss the girl in. She landed to Don's left, away from the turtles, and lay still. She was on her side, her hair falling across her forehead and fanning out above her. Don saw how pale she was, millions of freckles standing out on what he could see of her arms, legs, and face. He also saw the bruises and cuts all over her, some even bleeding through her white shirt.

Donnie growled and took a step toward the leader just as the thug slammed the door shut again.

"You bastard, how could you?" Don said quietly.

"'Ay, don' shoot da messenger, frog-man," the thug replied. "I'm jus' followin' orders." He tapped the bars lightly with his fist and holstered his gun. "I'll leave da lights on fer ya. Have fun." He led his group away from them, and Don heard the slamming of a door just out of sight.

Immediately, he turned his attention to the girl. He moved her hair away from her face gently and turned her onto her stomach. The majority of the cuts were on her back, and Don couldn't understand what could make such strange marks. They were long, and seemed to criss-cross her back from what he could see. He was hesitant to remove her shirt completely, as he had no supplies to perform first-aid on her. He then looked at the cuts on her arms, and found them to be highly superficial. They were already scabbed over, the skin around them already healed. He froze, the realization of what that anomaly meant hitting him like a sack of bricks.

They were cuts from before. At least a few days ago. This girl had been held captive for a long time.

Don reached out and put his hands on either side of her waist, trying to see how small she actually was. He stretched out his fingers and cursed audibly as he found that he could almost fit both his hands around her waist. He saw how bony her wrists and arms were, and knew that she probably hadn't had any real food in a long time.

"She's extremely malnourished," he told his brothers. "And hurt." He sat back on his knees beside her. "I wonder why she's here, what she's done to deserve this."

"Does it matta?" Raphael replied, surprising everyone. "These guys're monsters, genius. They don' need a reason ta beat up a lil' girl."

"She's...not exactly little, Raph," Don replied, looking over the girl again. "I'd put her at...maybe sixteen or seventeen?"

"_Tch_. Still young enough fer it ta be sickenin'."

Don caught Leo's eye and grimaced. Leo just sat down on Mikey's other side and leaned his head against the wall. Raphael was right – it _was_ sickening.

Suddenly, the girl groaned and stirred. Donatello jumped away from her and joined his brothers in the corner. He watched the girl warily, equally trying not to scare her and making sure she didn't move too fast and hurt herself even worse. She lifted her head, then slowly moved her hands under her and pushed her shoulders off the ground. She sniffed and breathed out slowly, then moved to sit against the barred wall across from the turtles. She groaned again and brushed her hair back off her face.

Donatello's heart almost stopped. The side of her face that had been turned away from him before was now shown. And Donnie couldn't believe the amount of damage that had been done there.

Not only did she have a black eye, but there was a long gash that ran from her temple to just below her cheekbone. Her lip was split, and a line of blood ran down her chin. She lifted a bruised hand to wipe it away, and caught sight of Donnie and his brothers for the first time. She froze, eyeing them just like they were eyeing her.

"Well, I ain't gonna bite, why're y'all in the corner?"

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcome, guys! I work better knowing how I'm doing :)<strong>


	2. Sloan

**Chapter 2! Yaaay! Haha no reviews yet, but I'm still holding out for 'em :). Hope you guys are liking this story, cause I'm having fun writing it. Again, I don't own anything but my OC's and the plotline. Enjoy!**

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><p>Donatello jumped at the girl's obvious Southern accent. He wasn't expecting it. A large multitude of questions went through his mind. He wondered where she was from, why she was imprisoned here with them, why she wasn't startled by their appearance. A multitude of questions, and the first words out of his mouth were...<p>

"Who are you?"

She actually laughed. "Someone who gave these idiots more trouble than they bargained for." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, signaling that the "idiots" were the Purple Dragons. When the turtles just stared at her, she smiled slightly.

"Name's Sloan Millar." She saluted them with two fingers. "What about y'all?"

"Um..." Donnie started, looking to their leader to see if he deemed it safe to introduce themselves. Leo nodded, barely a movement of his head.

"My name's Donatello," Don said, then gestured to his brothers. "This is Leonardo, Raphael, and Michaelangelo."

"So _those _are your names." The girl's eyes (a light brown, Donnie noticed) found Mikey, and she grimaced. "They break your arm?"

Mikey nodded, shifting his good arm.

"They're good at that," she went on. "Hurting people."

"I guess you'd know, wouldn't ya?" Raph said. "How long've you been down here?"

The girl glanced up at the ceiling, counting off on her fingers. "Two weeks," she finally said. "Two weeks of Hell."

"Why aren't you afraid of us?" Leo asked, looking at her with his "interrogation" face.

The girl sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest, grimacing in pain. "They've shown me your pictures. Kept asking me what I knew about you guys."

"Did they not listen?" Raph asked. "When you told 'em you didn't know."

"I didn't say _anything_," she answered, flooring the turtles. "I'd decided not to help them at all, if they were after you guys." She shrugged. "They weren't going to give me what I wanted if I cooperated anyway, so why make their job easier?"

"You could have saved yourself a lot of pain," Mikey spoke up.

She stayed silent, leaning her head back against the bars. No one spoke for a long while. Mikey tried to stay quiet, but the pain got to the better of him. He began moaning softly each time his arm throbbed. Don tried to soothe him, but there was nothing he could do about the pain. He couldn't help himself when he looked over at the girl, and found her looking almost sadly at Mikey. She suddenly stood, using the bars behind her to pull herself up, and began banging on the bars.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Pussy Dragons! I gotta go, care to help a girl out?" She continued to yell at the gang, alternating between requests and insults. Don heard Raph laughing behind him, and he couldn't keep a smile of his own from splitting across his face. The girl stepped back from the bars as a gang member approached, commanding her to be quiet if he took her to...relieve herself (his actual words had been "take a piss").

"Thank you," the girl inclined her head slightly at the member as he opened the cell door. He took her arm and closed the door quickly before the turtles could do anything. As he led her off, the girl looked over her shoulder at them and winked.

Don didn't know what she was up to, but he hoped she stayed safe during whatever plan she was concocting.

"Whaddaya think, Fearless?" Raph asked. "She seem trustworthy?"

"I believed her when she told us what she did," Leo answered. "But I can't help but think that _we're_ the cause of all those cuts."

"No we're not, that was her choice," Donnie put in, turning back to Mikey.

The youngest turtle didn't look so good. His green skin was pale, and a sheen of sweat coated his face and body. His left arm was bruised and beginning to swell. Don bit his beak; he was worried that Mikey's arm wouldn't heal properly if he didn't set it soon. But there was nothing around that he could use for a splint.

Suddenly there was a loud commotion just around the bend. Gang members shouted, there was the sound of a slap and a grunt, and suddenly the girl came running into view, her bare feet pounding against the concrete. Donatello heard her gasping for breath, and she stumbled and fell. She threw a wrapped bundle between the bars just as the gang members came around the corner. The leader grabbed her wrist and hauled her to her feet, backhanding her hard across the face and sending her back to the floor.

Instantly Don and Leo got up and went to the bars, yelling at the thugs to stop, that she wasn't doing anything wrong, to let her go. The gang didn't listen, and continued to rain down blows on the girl.

"Hold it!" a very familiar voice said, and the turtles immediately fell silent. The master and commander of the Purple Dragons showed his ugly face.

"I thought I told you dill-holes that I needed 'er concious," he said, indicating her prone form on the floor.

"'Ay, she's alive, boss. Be happy wit' dat."

Hun reached down and hoisted the girl onto his shoulder. "What did she do?"

"She scratched me!"

The group of thugs and their leader turned to one member in the back, who had a long scratch going down his face. He also had a black eye and a bloody mouth.

"That ain't all she did, apparently," Hun muttered, turning away. "Move away from da door, freaks, I'm lettin' 'er back in." He laid her inside the cell, strangely gentler than the other thugs had been with her. Once he'd shut the cell door again, he turned back to the assembled gang members. "_Don't_ fall for her tricks again."

"She's smart, boss," the leader contradicted. "A-an' she knows how ta fight, an'..." The gang member trailed off at the look on his boss's face.

Don looked from Hun to the girl, a new respect forming for her. He fiddled with the bundle, now hidden behind him, wondering what she'd had to do to get it for them. As Hun led the gang awal, Don swiftly turned to open the bundle. He sighed, exasperated, as he pulled out two long, stiff boards. And obviously the bundle had been made of a long strip of cloth. Again, he looked at the girl. She'd just risked her life to help them. Don glanced around at his brothers and saw they were thinking the same thing.

"She did that," Mikey squeaked. "For _me_?"

"Consider yerself lucky," Raph muttered as Don began to set Mikey's arm. A few minutes later, Mikey's arm was in a splint, and Don turned to Sloane. He had just enough leftover cloth to dab at the fresh cuts on her. He wiped at one on her cheek, and she stirred under his hand.

Don found himself looking into her brown eyes once they were open.

"Why'd you do it?" he asked her softly, continuing to wipe at her cuts. He'd moved on to one above her eyebrow.

"It's in my nature to take care of people," she answered, her voice hoarse. She tried to get up, but Don kept her down with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Not just yet," he told her. "What do you mean, its in your nature?"

Sloan glanced over at Mikey, who was now asleep. "I bet he's the youngest, right? That's why you three protect him so fiercely."

Don marvelled at her intuition. "Yeah," he said. Realizing it was pointless to keep her down, he helped her sit up against the barred wall.

"But, we're not _people_," he went on. "We're strangers to you, and we're not human. You had no reason to help us."

She leaned her head back and looked at thim, her reddish-brown eyebrows raised. "You haven't met very many nice people, have you?"

"Not very many _people_ in general," Don replied, moving to a cut on her upper arm.

She chuckled lightly. "Then, by your logic, you shouldn't want to help me, because I'm a stranger and _human_."

Don froze, realizing she was right. He looked back up at her and found her smiling slightly, meeting his eyes.

"True," he finally said.

Sloan closed her eyes again and exhaled through her nose. She jumped as Donnie spoke to her again.

"So, are you going to tell me _why_ you're in here in the first place?"

"I proved to be more than they could handle. I thought I said that already."

Again, Don stopped. "Care to elaborate?"

She opened her eyes again, but it was like she was looking at something very far off. "They took my sister," she said softly.

"Why?"

Sloan sighed. "They're running a slave trade."

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><p><strong>Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuun! Haha, reviews are welcome! :D<strong>


	3. Sisters and Brothers

**Chapter 3! :D so, I've got Easter break coming up, and I'll be home from college for a few days. I should get more done on this story (I hope), so be on the lookout for new chapters! Btw, if you've seen _The Hunger Games_, or have the soundtrack, you might recognize the lyrics of the song...I don't own them - they belong to the songwriters. I encourage you to check it out though, its called "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars. Enjoy! :D**

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><p>Don dropped the cloth, his heart almost stopping. "W-what?" Across the cell, Raph and Leo looked up, also listening.<p>

"Petty crimes got to be too small-time for the PD's," Sloan began. "So they graduated to human trafficking. When my family moved up here from North Carolina, my dad got a job as a detective with the NYPD. He was the one in charge of investigating the Dragons. When he got too close," Sloan paused and took a deep, shaky breath. "The PD's took him out. As if that wasn't enough, they came to our apartment, killed my m-mother, and took my sister and I for slaves."

No one made a sound, and Sloan wiped her eyes quickly. Don reached out and gripped her shoulder, both offering comfort and urging her to continue.

"I tried to keep my sister with me, fighting them every time they took her away. Eventually, my fighting didn't work, and they took her anyway. They threw me in here, saying I wasn't 'tame' enough to sell. They're apparently trying to 'break' me." She laughed humorlessly. "Good luck with _that_."

"Do you know where they took your sister?" Leo asked. He and Raph had come over to sit near them, fully engrossed in Sloan's story.

"No, I–" she stopped, bringing both hands to her face to wipe at her eyes. "I keep listening for information, a clue, _anything_, but...nothing." She hid her face in her hands, and Don could feel her shoulders shaking with the effort of holding her tears in.

"Can I ask how old yer sister is?" Raphael asked quietly.

Sloan sniffed. "Four," she whispered.

Several things happened at once. Raph stood and struck the cell door angrily, yelling insults and obscenities at the nonpresent Dragons for taking such a small child away from her family. Leo went to stop him from hurting himself, and Mikey woke up with a snort. Sloan couldn't keep the tears in anymore, and she began crying. Don moved to sit beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

He understood why she needed to. After two weeks of this hell, it was a wonder that she hadn't broken down before. Sighing, Don brought his other arm around her and held her. She rested her head on his shoulder and cried. Luckily, his brothers were all too engrossed in their own things to notice the position he was in.

"Sloan, its okay," he began hesitantly. "It'll be fine. We'll help you find her. It's okay." He didn't know what else to say to the girl. He tried to remember what Raph had done when Hannah cried (because if Raph could figure it out, surely _he_ could). Then Don realized that he and his brothers had never seen Hannah when she truly broke down. That had been all Raphael.

Suddenly, the sound of a door banging open caused them all to fall silent. Hun came back into the room, pulling a small girl along behind him. Sloan immediately wiped her eyes and jumped to her feet. She ran to the bars, standing between Raph and Leo.

"Back up, all a' yas!" Hun commanded. They obeyed, obviously not happy about it.

"Fig'red I'd let ya see yer sister," Hun went on, unlocking the door and tossing the little girl into the cell. "Before we sell her off tamorrow." He slammed the door, laughing cruelly, and left. The little girl had fallen to her hands and knees when he pushed her in, and now big, pearly tears were running down her cheeks.

"Emily!" Sloan cried, falling to her knees beside the girl. She scooped her up and held the tightly in her lap.

"Sloan! I thought you were dead," the four-year old said. She buried her face in her sister's shirt and began to cry.

"Sh, shh, it's okay. I'm here," Sloan comforted her. She rubbed her little girl's long brown hair and began to rock her gently back and forth. Then, she began to sing.

"_I remember tears streamin' down your face_

_When I said I'd never let you go, _

_When all those shadows almost killed your light. _

_I remember you said 'don't leave me here alone.' _

_But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight. _

_Just close your eyes, the sun is goin' down. _

_You'll be all right, no one can hurt you now. _

_Come mornin' light, you and I'll be _

_Safe and Sound._"

Her voice had transfixed the brothers, and it seemed to have calmed Emily down. The little girl was now sniffling quietly, curled up in her sister's lap.

"Sloan?" Emily asked.

"Hm?"

"Who are they?"

Don tried to keep the smile off his face. The little girl still said her _r_'s like _w_'s, and he thought it was adorable. He glanced over at Leo and found a small grin on his face as well.

"Those are my new friends," Sloan explained. She then introduced them all.

"Did the bad men get them too?" Emily asked, looking at the brothers.

"Yes, they did," Don answered for Sloan.

Emily stood and walked over Mikey, kneeling beside him. "Did they hurt your arm?"

Mikey grinned half-heartedly at her. "Yeah, they're mean like that."

Emily pouted, then leaned over and kissed Mikey's arm, right above his elbow. "All better," she said, before walking back over to Sloan.

"I'm just getting all kinds of special treatment today," Mikey laughed. The rest of the group joined in.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, knucklehead," Raph told him, not unkindly. Mike smiled and looked at Emily, now once again nestled in her sister's lap.

"Thank you, Emily," he told her. "My arm feels much better."

Emily blushed and giggled, hiding her face in Sloan's shirt. Which made the group laugh again. Sloan began to gently untangle Emily's long brown hair, humming to herself. Donnie watched as she deftly pulled out the knots, not hurting Emily at all. For some reason, seeing the two of them like that, on their own, set the wheels turning in his mind.

"Sloan?" he asked.

She stopped and looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"When we get out of here," he started. "You and Emily are more than welcome to stay with us." He looked to his brothers and found them all agreeing.

Sloan dipped her head and looked at her sister. "What do you say, Em? Wanna take 'em up on their offer?"

Emily looked over at them all, then back up at Sloan. "I like them. So...yeah."

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><p><strong>So, this story is gonna be much more musical than my first story. If a chapter has lyrics at the beginning, or in the middle of the chapter, I encourage you to look them up and listen to them, as they would set the "theme" or "feeling" for the chapter. Anyways, what did you think? Lemme know in reviews or PM's! :D<strong>


	4. Escape

**Chapter four! Hooah! XD Thanks to dragoscilvio and kaaayyytteee for reviewing, you guys rock! ^-^ Again, I only own Sloan and Emily and the plot, and the lyrics below belong to the songwriters. Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"Fear is only in our minds, taking over all the time. Fear is only in our minds, but its taking over all the time." <em>

_- _Sweet Sacrifice by Evanescence

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><p>Don let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He smiled, but it soon fell as Leo said his next words.<p>

"The problem is we have to get out of here before they come back for Emily."

Don took mental stock of their assets. Three of them could fight, maybe four if he included Sloan as well. But they also had Mikey and Emily to protect, as neither one was a contender for fighting. He sighed quietly.

"Any ideas how to get outta here?" Raph asked.

Sloan moved Emily off her lap and stood, stretching. She grimaced as her shoulders popped, and Don knew it couldn't feel good on the cuts on her back. "The fact that they brought Emily here _now_, and that they said 'tomorrow' means that its probably close to nightfall. At least, that's what it feels like. They won't be back until tomorrow morning." She crossed the cell, away from the group, and dropped to her knees. She began pulling at one of the bricks on the back wall, and Donnie jumped in surprise as she pulled the brick completely out of the wall. She smiled and turned the brick around to show them that there was a hollowed-out compartment in the brick. Inside, there was a dark green velvet pouch.

"Wha...how...?" Leo said, looking from Sloan to the brick and back again. Don could only stare.

"I found this brick when they first put me in here. They didn't search me very well, and I got lucky in finding this brick." Sloan pulled the pouch out and replaced the brick. She then went to the cell door and pulled out two instruments – one long and skinny and another with a hook-like end on it.

"What is it?" Raph asked.

"My lock-picking kit," she replied. "My dad was a detective, remember? I had to learn this stuff."

"So," Don began slowly. "Why haven't you picked the lock before?"

"I never had Emily with me before," she told him. "Now, I can take her and get outta here." She thrust her arms through the bars.

"And we're your backup?" Leo asked.

"Your words, not mine." She stuck the two instruments into the lock and set to work.

"How much experience have ya had wit' this stuff?" Raph asked, also standing and stretching.

"Enough to know that this lock is pretty simple, and I should have us out of here in a matter of seconds."

"You seem pretty confident in yourself," Leo told her.

Her answer was a satisfied smile as she pushed down on one of her tools, and the lock clicked audibly. Sloan stepped aside and the door slowly swung open. She raised her eyebrows at Leo's disbelieving look.

"I have reason to be confident," she said, flicking his beak lightly as she walked past him. She knelt by her sister and took Emily's hands in hers.

"Em, I need you to be _very_ quiet for me, okay?" Sloan told her. "You can't talk, and you need to try not to cough or sneeze or anything."

"Are we gonna leave?" Emily asked.

"Well, we're gonna try." Sloan stood and turned to Mikey. "You okay, Michaelangelo?

"Yeah," he answered weakly. "And call me Mikey, dudette." Raphael helped him up and the group made their way cautiously out of the cell. Sloan had Emily by the hand, and the little girl clung to her sister as if her life depended on it.

_Which it does_, Donnie thought. If they didn't get out of there soon, Don knew that punishment would be swift, and Emily and Sloan would probably be seperated completely.

The room beyond the cell was sparse – there wasn't much to it. A set of double swinging doors, metal and very heavy, were set down a long hallway to their right. There was a door directly across from the cell, and upon opening it the brothers found their weapons and gear stashed inside. They quietly gathered their things and continued to search for a way out. To their left...

"It can't be this easy," Raph muttered, directly ahead of Donnie. Sloan, beside him, pulled up short.

"No way," she murmured back. "That has to be a decoy door."

There was a door, and what looked like streetlamp light was filtering through the window. A set of iron steps led up to the door, as it was ten feet above them.

"How do we know its a decoy?" Leo asked.

Nobody answered. Sloan touched Don on the shoulder and held out her sister's hand to him. He got the message. _Take Emily_.

He took the little girl's hand, kneeling to quietly assure her that her sister would be back. No doubt Emily was more than a little shaken up. She'd only just been reunited with Sloan, and he knew she was probably still afraid to be away from the older girl.

He and his brothers watched as Sloan made her way silently up the stairs, wincing every time her bare feet hit a rough patch. She slowly looked out the window, then ducked back down. She looked back at them and held up four fingers. She then held up two and pointed to the right of the door, then did the same thing and pointed left.

There were four guards, two on the right and two on the left. Don saw Leo nod, and he swiftly handed Emily off to Mikey.

"You stay in here with her, just out of sight," Don instructed. "We'll call to you when its safe."

Sloan came back down the stairs to stand before the three able-bodied turtles. "Its definitely a way out, though I don't understand why they'd put us here when there's a door so close. And with no internal guards, either."

"Unless they wanted us to try and escape," Leo spoke up. Don thought it was more than possible, but these were the Purple Dragons they were talking about. They knew the turtles could easily take out a few guards.

"They didn't know ya could pick locks, though," Raph put in. "That's gotta be one reason dere's only four a' them. I mean, you said it yourself, they didn't search ya too well."

"You'd think I wasn't a threat," Sloan smiled, making Leo and Raph chuckle. She turned back to the door and began twisting her hair in what Don thought was a nervous way. She bit her lip, then looked back at the brothers.

"I'm sure you guys can handle them, but they're all heavily armed and big." She paused, unsure of what to say next.

"It's okay," Don told her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You be careful, too."

She grinned as she turned away from them. "Let's get outta here."

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><p><strong>Oh, snap, Sh*ts 'bout to go down. Reviews are always welcome, guys! :D<strong>


	5. Lightning

**Chapter 5, yes! I finally found time to update between writing papers and working ^-^ Now, I just have to get through my exams and I'll be freeeeeee! Anyway, this chapter's perspectives jump around a bit, but I you'll be able to tell who's POV it is (I hope .) I own nothing except the plot and my OC's. Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"I sense there's something in the wind, that seems like tragedy's at hand." ~Sally's Song by Fiona Apple<em>

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><p>Mikey watched as Sloan made her way quietly up the stairs to the strange door. Emily's hand shifted in his, and he squeezed it to reassure the little girl.<p>

"Mich'angelo?" Emily asked quietly. Mikey smiled at her pronunciation of his name. He knealt beside her so their faces were on the same level.

"You can call me 'Mikey' if its easier for you," he told her, grinning.

"Mikey, I'm scared." She rubbed her eye with her free hand, wiping tears away. "What if Sloan doesn't come back?"

"She'll come back, you'll see," he assured her. "Your sister's pretty tough, small fry." He poked her in the stomach, making her laugh.

"Mike," Don's voice brought the youngest turtle back to their current situation. "If things go south, take Emily to the lair."

"How will I know if things've gone south?"

"You'll know." And his immediate older brother followed the others up the stairs.

…

Raph didn't like how little cover the Dragons had on that door. He felt like this was a trap – or the PD's were just stupid. He and his brothers had dealt with the gang before, and often there were many more than four armed men. However, these four were stationed _right_ by the door, meaning that Raph and his brothers would have to be lightning quick upon attacking.

It was decided that Sloan would stay towards the back, as she had no weapon. Raph would take the two on the right, while Leo and Don had the two on the left. The genius turtle had his hand on the knob, and he looked back at the rest of the group. Raph nodded, signaling he was ready, his hands on the hilts of his sais. Beside him, Leo silently slid his katanas from their sheaths. Raph heard Sloan take a deep breath behind him, heard her shifting bare feet. Don nodded and slowly turned the knob.

So far, so good.

Raphael gritted his teeth as Don pulled the door open slightly. And several things happened at once.

An alarm began to sound, blaring loudly in the silence of the room. Sloan yelled for Mikey to get Emily out, the orange-banded turtle racing out like the Flash, while Raph and his brothers exploded into action. He immediately threw a fist to the right, punching one thug in the face. He grabbed the guy's gun and swung his leg around to kick the other thug in the gut. He then thrust the butt of the gun at both their temples. He spun, still holding the gun, and found his brothers had successfully dispatched the other two. He saw Sloan closing the door and forced another gun under the handle, keeping reinforcements locked inside. Mike and Emily were no where in sight.

Outside their makeshift prison, Raphael noticed they were at a sort of loading dock. The building they'd just left looked like a warehouse, one of many in the city. It's low roof and drab exterior more than likely kept it off the radar, Raph thought. Two street lamps were attached to the brick walls of the buildings surrounding them. No more thugs came after them.

Raph shouldered his gun and laughed. "That was _too_ easy."

"Speak for yourself," Sloan answered. She had a new cut on her arm. Seeing him looking at it, she shrugged. "Guy got in a lucky hit."

"You need to take it easier," Don told her. "You've lost too much blood already. I'm amazed you haven't keeled over yet."

Sloan opened her mouth to reply, but something caught her eye on top of the building. Her eyes grew wide, and she looked at Raph.

"Look out!" she cried, racing towards him, her hands outstretched.

"What–_oof_!"

Her hands connected with his chest, sending him to the ground in a surprised heap.

And that was when the shot rang out.

…

Pain.

Unbearable, burning, gut-wrenching _pain_. That's what Sloan felt as she hit the ground. She gripped her side, warm blood flowing through her fingers. She gritted her teeth against making any noise, but a pained groan escaped her. She grimaced and closed her eyes, trying to shut out the pain. Voices began shouting around her, and another gun shot exploded in the night.

"Sloan!"

"Hang on, Sloan, don't move."

"Not goin' anywhere, Don," she gasped. She felt hands at her side, and more at her face, brushing hair away from her face. She opened her eyes just a crack. Through her blurry vision, she could just make out a blue mask bent over her head. That left Donatello to be the one digging around in her side.

"Don't be cute," Leo warned, his voice sounding too loud. "Listen to what he says."

Sloan gasped in pain as Don did something that _really_ hurt. Don hissed a curse.

"Raph!" he suddenly called. "We need to move _now_!"

A few more shots rang out. "Go! I'll cover ya!"

"Leo, can you carry her?"

Sloan didn't hear his answer, but felt his arms lift her into the air. Suddenly very tired, she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Stay with me, Sloan," Leo told her. "Try to stay awake, we _need_ you awake."

"...I'm cold..." she answered in a small voice. She grimaced as each step he took jarred her side, and she tightened her arms around his neck to try to achieve relief. In the end, it was all too much for her, and she succumbed to the darkness.

…

"Sloan? _Sloan_!"

Leo hesitated in shaking her to try to rouse her – he didn't want to hurt her side any more. But he knew she was unconscious when her head rolled back off his shoulder and her arms dropped from around his neck. Leo cursed and put on an extra burst of speed and caught up to his brother in purple.

"Don, we need to hurry," he told him. "Sloan's not doing good."

"I know," Don answered grimly. "If we don't get her to the lair soon, I'm not sure if she'll make it. Raph!" He suddenly called to the red-banded turtle. "Call April and have her meet us at the lair. Tell her to hurry!"

Within ten minutes, they'd gone underground and were on their way to the lair. As they entered their home, Master Splinter rushed forward.

"Explain, my sons," he ordered.

"Raph, you explain," Don commanded, heading straight for the lab. "Leo, I need your help until April gets here."

"What do _I_ do?" Mikey asked, Emily trying to escape his grasp to get to her sister.

"Keep Emily distracted," Don told him. Leo stepped by him and laid Sloan on the cot that Don kept in the lab for emergency reasons. "Tell April to come in here once she's here, Master Splinter. Leo and I need to start in here."

Don closed the lab door behind him and immediately went to Sloan's side. He inspected the gunshot wound, then gathered the necessary materials to perform his medical magic.

"How's it look, Don?" Leo asked him, his hands resting on the cot by Sloan's shoulders.

Don sighed as he sat down in his chair. "Not good. She's lost a lot of blood, and she's so malnourished that I'm afraid there wasn't enough to stop the bullet from hitting anything vital." He narrowed his eyes and set to work getting the bullet out. "Honestly, I'm not sure if this'll help anything or not."

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><p><strong>Hehe I'm mean : Hope you guys are liking this so far! Reviews are welcome! :D (Please?)**


	6. Close Call

**Aaaaand here's chapter 6! Thanks to all my lovely reviewers, you guys rock! I hope you like this chapter - there's a bit of medical jargon that I wasn't sure about. But, anyway, I only own my OC's and the plot. Enjoy you guys!**

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><p><em>"If I stay, it won't be long till I'm burning on the inside. If I go, I can only hope that I make it to the other side." <em>

~"Get Out Alive" by Three Days Grace

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><p>Raph wasn't good with kids.<p>

He sat there on the couch, watching Mikey try to teach Emily how to count using a deck of cards.

"Mikey, da kid's _four_. She ain't gonna understand that the ace is also a one."

"Hey, she's figuring it out," Mike answered. "See, watch." He held up an ace and asked Emily to tell her what number it was.

Emily laughed at him. "Mikey, that's an _A_. Its not a number."

Mikey slumped and dropped the card, both Emily and Raph laughing at him now. Even though it was kind of stupid, Mikey really was doing a good job of distracting Emily. Who knew if her sister was going to make it?

His gaze flickered to the lab door, where April had just disappeared not two minutes prior. Leo and Don were still in there as well, doing everything they could to save Sloan. Raph could see their shapes moving about frantically through the iced glass window.

He sighed and rested his elbow on the armrest, propping his head up with his fist. Sloan had known them all of three hours back in that warehouse, and she'd helped them get a splint for Mikey, unlocked the cell, and pushed Raph out of the way of an assassin's bullet. She'd saved his life and risked her own. He couldn't understand why someone would do that, why Sloan would risk dying to save the life of some person – no, some _creature_ – she'd just met.

He moved to get up and go to his trusty punching bag, but a small hand on his knee stopped him. Emily crawled into his lap, holding their old and battered copy of _The Cat in the Hat._

"Will you read to me, Raph?" she asked.

Surprised, he took the book out of her hands. "Uh...sure." He opened the book, Emily settling back against him, and began to read.

"'The sun did not shine. It was too wet ta play. So we sat in da house all dat cold, cold day...'"

…

"Leo, I need a swab here," Don muttered.

Leonardo hurried to do what his brother asked, placing the swab of gauze right where Donnie needed it. It soaked up the blood too quickly, and Don called for April to bring over much more.

Leo glanced worriedly at Sloan, who's face was turned away from them. She looked way too pale, and a sheen of sweat coated her body.

"Got it," Don murmured, pulling the ruined metal of the bullet out of Sloan's side. He dropped it into a cup April suddenly appeared with, then bent to further inspect the wound.

"I need to get rid of the dead tissue," he said. "And I'm gonna need April to help with this. Leo, can you start an IV on her?"

Leo swallowed hard and nodded. Don had made them all learn how to perform basic first aid – like stitching and starting IV's – just in case Don wasn't around or if _he_ was the one on the cot instead of one of his brothers. They'd all had to do it numerous times in the past, both practice and the real thing.

But that still didn't change the fact that Leo hated needles.

He gathered the needle and the tube, tying off a tourniquet above her bicep. Within a few moments he had a vein, and he took a deep breath before plunging the needle into the soft skin of the inside of her elbow. He taped it into place and suppressed a shudder.

He hated doing that.

He moved to leave, but a sudden loud beeping noise stilled him in his tracks. April raced over to a monitor, then turned to Don with wide, fearful eyes.

"Blood pressure's dropping," she told him. "She's stopped breathing."

"She's going into cardiac arrest," Don said, getting up. "April, be ready with the oxygen. I'm gonna have to perform CPR."

Leo stood back, hovering by the door, and watched as April fit a rubber mask over Sloan's nose and mouth. Don placed his hands over her heart and began to pump. Every once in a while, April would squeeze the rubber ball on the other end of her device, forcing air into Sloan's lungs.

"Come on, Sloan," Don muttered between pumps. "Come on, _breathe_."

It was as if someone had poured ice inside Leo's veins. His breath hitched in his throat and his heart pounded in his ears. He saw how hard Don was working to keep her alive, saw the fear in April's eyes. He didn't know what to do. All he could do was sit there and hope and pray that Sloan would start breathing again. He stared at her face, willing her to take a breath.

_Please_, he thought. _Please breathe. For Emily. For _all_ of us. _

Sloan had already done so much to help his family, Leo felt he owed her. She'd been so brave in the cell, so fearless against the Purple Dragons. He'd never met anyone that brave, other than his brothers and their small group of friends.

"_Yes_!" Don shouted at Sloan's chest rose. She was finally breathing.

All the strength seemed to go out of Leo at that moment, and he collapsed against the lab door. He leaned his head back against the door, just watching Sloan breathe.

"Thank God," April said, pulling the breathing apparatus away from Sloan's mouth.

"That was close." Don sat back heavily in his chair and rested his elbows on the cot, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He took a deep breath, then set to stitching up the wound in Sloan's side.

Leo matched his breathing to Sloan's, as if doing so would keep her alive. He didn't want to move, didn't want to leave her for fear that the whole thing would happen again. He kept his eyes on her, even as April squatted beside him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"She'll be okay," she told him quietly. "If you want to go rest, get cleaned up, we've got it under control here."

"What if–"

"It won't happen again," April assured him. "She's stable. She just needs to rest now, okay? You do, too."

Leo finally met her green eyes and nodded, standing and exiting the lab.

…

Don felt like he could finally relax. He'd just injected the medicine that would keep Sloan stable for a while. He'd been hesitant at first, but after she nearly crashed again he wasn't taking any more chances. He stepped back from her IV and turned to April, standing on the other side of the cot.

"I need to look at those cuts on her back, now. Help me turn her over so we can cut away her shirt."

April did as she was told, handling Sloan gently as if she would break at any time, and laid Sloan on her stomach. Don heard April's slight gasp as she glimpsed Sloan's back for the first time. Nevertheless, she followed his instructions to a T. She handed the shears over to Don, and he began to cut away at the ruined cloth.

"I don't understand why _I'm_ here, Donnie," she told him. "I'm not medically trained. I can barely rip off a band-aid without getting grossed out."

Don chuckled slightly, knowing full well she was telling the truth. "I know. It's just I'm going to need you to bandage these." He finally cut through the rest of the fabric and pulled the cloth gently away.

And froze.

The cuts were long, much longer than he'd originally thought. They criss-crossed her back, and went from above her shoulder blades to almost disappearing below the waistband of her shorts. And they were _deep_, too. Ruined flesh still clung to her back in some places, and many of the cuts showed the beginnings of infection.

"Donnie," April started slowly. "Those aren't cuts."

"I know," Don replied, his voice hoarse.

They were whip lashes.

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><p><strong>O.O It's getting good, y'all...reviews always welcome!<strong>


	7. Wake Up

**Yes! Chapter 7 is heeeeeere :) so...strange thing happened. It's almost May, and it snowed on campus this week...like legit snow. Stupid Boone weather -.- Anyway, the snow couldn't keep me from writing! Hope you guys like it!**

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><p><em>She dreamed she was flying. She was alone, save for the clouds around her and the broad canyon below. The wind whipped her hair around her face, making her eyes sting and water. But she didn't care.<em>

_She was _flying_!_

_She lowered herself closer to the canyon, seeing the many types of strange flora and fauna on the rocky cliffs. She smiled, feeling free for the first time in a long time. She dipped and swooped and flipped in the air, landing on the branch of a tall pine tree. Above her, an eagle's nest sat on another branch. She watched the eagle family for a while, until she felt the branch under her bare feet begin to shake._

_She tried to jump off, to fly away, but her feet were suddenly stuck to the branch. It split off from the tree, and she was falling through the air. She tried to scream, but no sound came from her. She fell and fell and fell and fell until..._

…

She awoke with a start, amber eyes shooting open. Her vision was still blurry, and she couldn't tell where she was. She tried to sit up, but a searing pain in her side caused her to cry out and fall back against something soft.

"Sloan?" a woman's voice said. "Sloan, its okay, you're safe."

Sloan blinked rapidly, trying to rid herself of the film over her eyes. She brought a hand up to rub her eyes, but found her fingers hooked up to monitors and cords.

"Hold on," the voice said. A cool cloth passed gently over Sloan's eyes and forehead, simultaneously clearing her vision and calming her down a bit.

Finally able to see, Sloan noticed she had an IV needle in her arm, and a mess of cords wrapped around her hand. She looked to her left to find a woman sitting beside her bed. She had red hair, a few shades darker than Sloan's, and bright green eyes. The woman had a cup with a straw in her hands, and she held it out for Sloan to take. For the first time, Sloan realized she was extremely thirsty. She took the cup and drained it in a matter of seconds.

"W-who are you?" Sloan asked hoarsely as the woman took the empty cup from her.

"My name's April O'Neil," she told her, reaching behind her for a water bottle. She refilled the cup and passed it back to Sloan. Sloan took small sips this time and watched the woman – April – warily.

"You gave us quite a scare for a bit," April continued, sitting back and crossing her arms. Sloan noticed she was thin, but athletic looking.

"Who's 'us'?" Sloan asked, the straw between her teeth. She still didn't know where she was , or why she hurt so badly everywhere. She didn't know if she'd been re-captured by the Dragons, or if someone worse had found her.

"The guys and me," April said. "You actually stopped breathing on Donnie a couple of times."

Sloan stayed quiet, almost not believing April. She'd been _that _close to dying? To leaving her little sister alone in the world?Sloan lowered the straw from her lips and placed a hand on her hurt side. She found it wrapped in gauze and bandages, along with her entire torso. Someone had taken great care in performing first aid on her, meaning they'd worked hard to keep her alive. Whoever would do that wouldn't try to heal her just to turn around and try to kill her again.

"Sloan," April started slowly. "We saw your back...care to tell me about it?"

Sloan's mind went unbidden back to the two weeks she'd spent in that hellhole. The beatings, the whippings, the–

_No!_ She told herself. She refused to think on _that._ She refused to think on _anything_ that happened while she was imprisoned. So, instead, she changed the subject.

"Is Emily okay?"

"She's fine. Mikey's got her." April didn't bat an eye at Sloan's evasion.

Sloan nodded, realizing that her sister wouldn't have been abandoned. _Em was with the turtles. They would've taken care of her_.

She shook her head to get rid of thoughts like that. "I don't suppose I could see her?"

April smiled. "Of course. But, we may want to get you into some better clothes."

Sloan looked down and fingered the material on the hospital gown that clothed her, under which she had nothing on. She grimaced.

"Agreed."

…

Ten minutes later, Sloan was dressed in an oversized sweatshirt and and shorts of April's. They'd had to pin the shorts up, seeing as Sloan was so malnourished, and the shirt almost covered the shorts _and_ her arms. But, at least the clothes were clean and warm. During that time, Sloan learned that she'd been out of it for two full days. Among other things, April explained to her about the brothers, how they'd become …well, the way they were. She told Sloan that they lived in the sewers because it was safer and easier to secure than anything on the surface. The room in which Sloan had woken up in was Don's lab.

"Don's the genius," April explained. "He's the engineer and the doctor of the group. Leo's the oldest and the leader, and you already know that Mikey's the youngest. Raph's second in command and the hothead."

With April's help, Sloan pulled her hair back and sat up in the cot. It hurt a bit to move, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. April went to the door and called for the guys to bring Emily in. Three out of four brothers filed in, Emily being held back by Leonardo's hand.

"Leo, lemme go!" the little girl said. "I wanna see Sloan." She broke free and raced to the cot, almost jumping on top of her sister. Luckily, Donatello caught her in mid-air before she could land on the cot.

"Hang on, Em, Sloan's hurt. She can't have you climbing all over her."

Emily pouted, but smiled again as he gently sat her down on the soft surface of the blankets. She crossed her legs and faced her older sister, sitting at Sloan's feet.

"How ya feelin'?"

Sloan couldn't help but smile at her sister's voice. She sounded like she'd been spending way too much time with Michelangelo. On top of that, Emily was clean, her hair washed and her clothes new.

"Who's been taking care of you, Em?"

"Well, we have," Mikey answered. "Us 'n April. We've been keeping an eye out for her. Making sure she gets enough sleep, that she brushes her teeth, that sort of stuff." The orange-banded turtle practically beamed at Sloan. "Emily's taken quite a liking to me."

Sloan laughed, then gasped and clutched her side as a flare of pain shot up the entire left side of her body.

"Are you okay?" Don asked, gently touching Sloan's shoulder. "Is anything overly painful?"

"I'm fine, Donatello," she answered breathlessly. "Just a little sore."

"Well, you may want to stay in bed for a while," a new voice said. Sloan heard a distinct tapping noise, coupled with a slight clicking. The group that was gathered around her parted, allowing the newcomer to see her. And her to see him. She bit her lip to keep from gasping in surprise.

It was a rat.

A _giant_ rat.

He was dressed in a tattered Japanese kimono, red with black trim. The tapping noise had been the walking stick he used, because it just seemed natural for him to be walking on two legs, and the clicking Sloan had heard was obviously his claws on the concrete. His fur was a gray-brown, a small bit of it twirling together at his chin to form a small beard of sorts. He fixed Sloan with intelligent dark eyes.

"Hello, Miss Millar," he said, and Sloan wasn't surprised to hear his Japanese accent. "As I understand it, I owe you my gratitude for my sons' lives." He inclined his head slightly in her direction.

"I-it was nothing," she answered, hating the tremor in her voice. No one else seemed shaken by his appearance, why should she? "They would have done the same for me."

"Yes, they would have," the rat went on.

"Sloan," Leo began. "This is Master Splinter, our _sensei_ and father."

"_Sensei_" she understood...it was the "father" bit that had her confused. Apparently, Leo saw it on her face, and he laughed.

"April told me about you," Sloan said, addressing Master Splinter. "She said that you took the brothers in. She failed to mention your...appearance."

"Well, you are certainly handling it better than Miss O'Neil did the first time we were introduced."

The group laughed, including Emily, and Sloan guessed that April's introduction was much more embarrassing. Suddenly, Sloan yawned, extremely tired.

"Why don't we leave you alone for a bit," Don said. The rest of the group headed out the door, Leo picking Emily up off the bed and carrying her out.

"'Bye, Sloan," the little girl called over Leo's shoulder.

Sloan smiled and laid back against the pillows as Don checked the machines she was hooked up to.

"Do you mind if I stay in here and get some work done?" he asked. He levelled his gaze to her, grinning slightly. "I'll be quiet, I promise."

Sloan smiled back and nodded, pulling the blankets up to her shoulders. She closed her eyes, instantly finding relief in the darkness behind her eyelids.

"Get some rest." She heard Don say. Just before she drifted off, she could have sworn she felt a soft hand touch her gently on her forehead.

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><p><strong>Its a bit fluffly, but still good...right? Lemme know!<strong>


	8. Family

**Hello all :) Here it is, Chapter 8! This is when it starts getting confusing - only if you haven't read "Turtles of Olympus". I'm almost done with classes, and then I'll be free to update as I please! :D Like I've said before, I only own the plot and my OC's. Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys keep me going!**

**btw: I hope you guys are looking up the songs I've been putting up lyrics to. They tend to set the tone for the chapter, so I really hope you get to hear them.**

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><p><em>"The pages have left an empty space, you were all I had." ~ If I Fall by Amber Pacific<em>

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><p>It was a full three days before Donatello allowed Sloan to get out of bed. She had thought she was going to go crazy, but the steady stream of visitors kept her entertained. The day after she first woke up, April came into the lab to try to talk to her. Sloan had started in surprise as a bulky man followed her in. He had ice-blue eyes (a lot like her own) and long black hair.<p>

"Sloan," April had said. "This is Casey Jones, my boyfriend."

Casey had held out his hand for her to shake, and Sloan took it with a smile. "Nice to meet you," she'd answered. She had learned that Casey was close to Raphael, and the two liked to patrol the streets on their own, looking for a few stray "heads to bash", as Casey had put it. They'd come back the second day, just to get to know Sloan a little better. Leo and Mikey had joined them then, further crowding Don's workspace. Sloan had noticed that he seemed a little irritated by the fact that his lab had become the new living room, but he'd kept his opinions to himself.

"So, Sloan," Casey had started slowly. "How old are ya?"

"I'll be eighteen in September." It was currently April. "How old are you guys?" She'd addressed the turtles.

"Leo's nineteen, Raph and I are eighteen, and Mikey's seventeen," Don had answered her. "And I'm not going to tell you how old Splinter is."

Sloan had tried not to laugh, and failed. Her side had twinged a bit, but not as bad as it had when she first woke up. "So, when are your birthdays?"

"We really don't know, so we all just picked days. Mine's March 20th," Leonardo had told her.

"October 2nd," Donnie had continued.

"April 1st," Mikey had smiled. "And Raph's is July 8th."

On the third day, Don told her stories of his and his brothers' adventures. He worked on his projects on her bed, sitting beside it, while she helped him and listened and laughed. At the moment, he was recounting the turtles' latest adventure to her.

"...I'm telling you, Sloan, these monsters were _crazy_ scary." Don set down his device down on the bed and reached for another tool. "And these _kids_ just took them on like it was nothing. One of them–Hannah–has got to be the best fighter I've ever seen. She was trained by Ares himself." Don shook his head in awe. "I was really hoping she could shut Mikey up once and for all about his stupid 'Battle Nexus Champion' bit."

Sloan laughed, glad that she could and her side no longer hurt when she did. "This girl sounds pretty cool. Why didn't you ask her out?" She nudged Don playfully.

"Uh, because she was _very obviously _taken," he scoffed. "Raphael was into her way more than anyone else."

"So, he has a girlfriend, huh?" she said mischievously.

"Oh no, I know that look," Don spoke up. "I've seen it on Mikey enough. That subject is _strictly_ off limits. Got it?" He pointed his screwdriver at her.

Sloan laughed again. "Oh, come on, why not?"

Donatello opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by another voice.

"Because he hasn't seen her in months." Leo shrugged away from the door frame and walked further into the room. "Talking about Hannah in front of him only makes him more depressed, and he goes right back to that punching bag."

Of all her visitors over those three days, Sloan had never once glimpsed the large red-banded brother. He seemed to keep to himself a lot. She sometimes heard distant slaps and the sound of a chain rattling, and Donatello had explained to her that Raph liked to work out with his punching bag when he was facing a rather stressful situation.

"Oh," Sloan murmured, her joking put aside. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's no big deal," Leo told her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she smiled. "Donnie said I could walk around today and move out of the the lab."

"I hope you haven't been going too crazy in here. Sometimes Don's techno-speak can get a little...confusing."

"Only if you don't understand it," Don said. He looked at Sloan hopefully. "Right?"

The girl grimaced. "Actually, I haven't understood a lot of what you've said these last few days." She put a hand on his shoulder when he gave her a crestfallen look. "Sorry, Donnie."

"I-its okay." He moved his project to his work bench as Leo helped Sloan swing her legs out of the bed. She was once again dressed in April's old clothes, but at least she was cleaner. April had seen to that.

With a little effort, Sloan was finally standing on her own. She slowly straightened, testing her side. It was sore, but it felt good to stretch everything. She grinned as she took a step with her left foot, discovering that it didn't hurt to walk at all. Leo and Don smiled.

"Want to go see your new room?" Leo asked her.

"I...I have a room?"

…

Leo watched as Sloan slowly took in the sight of her room. He, Mikey, Raph, and Casey had worked hard to get it in some sort of working order. The furniture didn't match, and none of them could agree on a color to paint the walls. But it was livable.

Sloan ran her fingers along the dresser top, her eyes shining.

"It's all mine?"

Leo laughed and nodded. "Emily's room is downstairs, next to Mikey's. That little girl never leaves him alone. Not that he minds, of course. He'll probably have her skateboarding in no time." He knew he was rambling, because he was nervous. He was trying to make her laugh, like Don seemed to be able to, but her attention was still on the room. She turned her gaze to a pink wall on the far side of the room.

"Um," he began again. "I'm sorry none of us could decide on a color." He touched the wall closest to him–a light blue one. "Mikey thought pink would be a good color because...y'know, you're a girl. I disagreed, and thought a light blue would be best. A _Carolina_ blue, since you're from North Carolina and all. Casey said to paint everything this ugly yellow color, but Raph talked him into green." He gestured to the two green walls. "And the furniture is stuff April had around the shop, and..." He trailed off. Sloan was still standing in the middle of her room.

"I'm sorry if-if you don't like it. I– _oof_!"

Sloan had suddenly turned and thrown her arms around his middle, her head only coming up to his chest.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much, Leo."

"Y-you're welcome," he answered, thrown off guard. As Sloan pulled back, he noticed tears in her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Sloan shook her head, sniffing. "It's just," she began. "When I was in that cell, I made a decision. I told myself that I'd get Emily out, and we'd run as far from New York as possible. And if I couldn't get to her in time, then there was no way I was living without her. I told myself to forget the past, to forget my old life. Leo, I'd already given up hope that I'd ever have a home again. That _we'd_ have a home again. But..." She stopped, glancing up at the eldest turtle. Tears overflowed and fell down her cheeks. She hastily wiped them away with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "But..."

Leo tentatively reached out and brushed away a tear that had escaped Sloan's sleeve. "Here we are. Offering you both a home. And everything that goes with it?"

Sloan smiled slightly. "What exactly does 'everything' include?"

Leo smiled back. "A family."

…

Raph kept punching and punching the bag. His knuckles were raw, and his breath was ragged, but he didn't care. He had to keep punching so he could keep his mind off of Hannah.

_No_, he thought. _I can't think about it. It'll only make it worse._

The ache in his chest had been getting larger and larger since Sloan had come to be with them. Every now and then, he would see his brothers talking to her, and it only made him wish Hannah was with him more. He could barely look at Sloan without seeing Hannah there, instead.

With a mighty cry, Raphael spun and kicked the bag right off its rusty chain. It landed with a thump a good ten feet away, splitting open and spilling sand everywhere. Raph collapsed with a sob, resting his head in his hands. When he closed his eyes, he saw blonde hair, green eyes...he swore he could still feel her in his arms. He clenched his hands into fists and pressed them into his eyes.

"Hannah."

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><p><strong>Moooooore fluffiness! :D well, except for the last part...reviews are welcome!<strong>


	9. Why Can't We Be Friends?

**Whoa this chapter is hella long O.o I couldn't find a good place to stop, so it went all 'energizer bunny' on me and kept going and going and going...anywho, I hope you guys like it. There's an italics section that's a memory, but hopefully it won't be too confusing. Again, if you haven't read "Turltes of Olympus" yet, you definitely won't know what's going on. Btw, if you find a song you want me to use lyrics for, lemme know in a review or PM and I'll put it in ^-^ My thanks to my reviewers and those who've made the story a favorite :) I'm sooooooo glad you like it! I own nothing but my OC's and the plotline. Enjoy chapter 9!**

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><p><em>"And after the storm, I run and run as the rains come and I look up, I look up. On my knees and out of luck, I look up."<em>

_After the Storm by Mumford and Sons_

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><p>Sloan stirred and awoke, rolling over in her bed.<p>

(_Her bed_. She still couldn't get used to thinking of it that way.)

She smiled and reached out to touch the green wall next to her bed, beside which she was currently curled up. It had been two days since she'd first laid eyes on her room, and she still found herself marveling at the fact that her new friends had done so much for her and her sister. She rolled onto her back, the blankets tangling around her legs from where they'd gotten pushed in the middle of the night, and rubbed her eyes. She glanced at the clock, trying to make some sort of sense of the blue luminous numbers and frowning.

_11:05. Is that...AM or PM?_ It was hard to tell without a window. She sat up and threw on one of Casey's old too-big long-sleeved shirts. He and April had come down to the lair when Sloan moved in to her room with a gift of boxes and boxes of old clothes. Some had been Casey and April's, while some were from April's shop and thrift stores. They'd been hard-pressed to find clothes that would actually fit Sloan's small form, but she had assured her two newest friends that she would grow into them with a little time.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she descended the stairs to the main room of the lair. She expected to hear noise – Raphael yelling at Mikey, Mikey yelling at his video game, Don yelling at them both to be quiet – but there was surprisingly nothing. It was rather quiet. Sloan sniffed and smelled bacon, so she made her way to the kitchen. Inside, she found Mikey frying the delicious-smelling food in a pan.

"Mornin' Sloan," he greeted her cheerfully. "Want some breakfast?"

"Yes, thank you, I'm starvin'."

Mikey sniggered, and Sloan gave him a dark look as she sat down at the table. They'd all quickly learned that when she was tired or angry, her Southern accent became more pronounced. Sometimes her words would have a bit of the telltale twang to them, but often it wasn't very noticeable.

"Shut up, you," Sloan warned, which only succeeded in making the orange-banded turtle laugh more. He set a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her.

"Sorry. I couldn't help it." He made a plate for himself and sat down across from her. "So, what are you doing up so early? The last two day's you haven't been up till, like, two."

Sloan laughed. "I guess my sleeping patterns are off," she said around her mouthful of eggs. "Not knowing if its daylight or night outside, I just go to sleep when I'm tired and wake up when I simply wake up." She shrugged. "Hey, where _is_ everybody, anyway?"

"Uh...Leo and Raph are training with Splinter." Mikey took another bite. "They got in another fight this morning."

"Over...?"

Mikey shrugged. "Who knows, dudette. I think they just find the stupidest things to fight over, just so they can have a chance to show the other one up."

"Each one wants to be right, and neither want to admit they're wrong." Sloan finished her plate and stood to put it in the sink. "Is that pretty close?"

Mikey laughed as Donatello entered the kitchen with his empty coffee mug. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Morning, Donnie," Sloan greeted the genius turtle. He nodded to them, pouring the coffee into his mug. He had a pencil stuck haphazardly into the back of his mask, and he had what looked like oil on his hands and cheeks. Sloan sighed softly.

"Don," she started. When he didn't acknowledge her, she tried again. "Donatello."

"Huh?" His hazel eyes went wide with surprise, finding her.

Sloan smiled. "How long have you been working?"

"Uh..." He checked his watch. "Whoa! Is is really almost 11:30?"

"Yep," Mikey answered him, putting his plate in the sink with Sloan's. "Whatcha workin' on?"

"I'm just tweaking the systems in the Battle Shell."

"Don," Mikey almost whined. "That truck is practically a weapon of mass destruction. It's _fine_! Leave it alone."

"But I can make the security mechanisms better, and it could do with a service, and–"

"We can get Raph to change the oil and stuff." Mikey took Donatello's mug out of his hands, making Don look like a baby who'd just gotten his candy taken away from him. Mikey pushed Don out of the kitchen and toward his room.

"Mike, I'm not tired–"

"I don't care, dude. You gotta go get some rest."

"But–"

Michelangelo pointed up the stairs to Don's room, and the purple-banded turtle sighed in defeat. "Fine. Wake me in a few hours."

"Uh-huh, totally," Mikey told him. As Don's door closed behind him, he turned to Sloan. "No, I won't."

The girl laughed. "I figured as much."

"Hey, Sloan, you know how to make pancakes?"

"_Pssh_, you insult me with your question, my friend," she answered, taking Mikey's arm and walking back into the kitchen.

…

"Again." Splinter barked.

Panting, Leo and Raph started the same kata that they'd been doing for the past two hours. Never before had Splinter's punishments been this severe. Of course, the two oldest turtles' arguments had never come to blows before – at least where their _sensei_ could see them.

Leonardo glanced at Raphael while they went through the now too-familiar motions. The golden-eyed turtle seemed engrossed in the movements, attacking them with such ferocity that Leo had to marvel at his energy. Then again, his second-in-command always had more "energy" when he was mad.

Master Splinter gave them the command to stop, and they both gratefully sank to the floor in their respectful poses. Leo tried to control his breathing so he could hear Raph's sharp intakes of breath. He didn't try to hide them at all.

"I hope this has gotten most of the fight out of you two."

Leo kept his gaze on the dojo floor, not able to look at his Master. Beside him, Raphael's breathing was slowing.

"I know I cannot keep you from fighting," Splinter went on, walking around behind them and taking a seat at his table. He poured himself a small mug of tea and took a sip. "But I want you two to start _thinking_ before you act. We have guests in our home, one of which is very young and impressionable. I know you will have your...disagreements, but the least you two can do is refrain from acting upon them."

Neither brother spoke. Leo watched as Raphael's hand clenched into a fist, and he knew the hot-head was keeping himself from saying something that he'd later regret. Leo inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, also trying to calm himself.

"Yes, _sensei_," Leonardo said. The brothers remained in their positions until Splinter gathered his tea and exited the dojo. Leo took a moment to get his thoughts together before speaking.

"Listen, Raph–"

"Sorry."

Leo blinked in surprise, taken aback. "What?"

Raph stood with a groan, his knees popping. "I said I'm sorry. I guess I've been a little...on edge."

Leo stared up at him in shock. "Wait. You're..._apologizing_?"

Raphael shrugged. "Yeah. Don't look too much inta it, Fearless." And he walked back to his new punching bag.

Leo also stood and exited the dojo, still not sure if what had just transpired was real or not.

…

That was where she found him, two hours later. He was drenched in sweat and breathing hard again. He knew he couldn't be too rough on the bag, seeing as it was brand new. But his punches and kicks still gained ferocity when he heard Sloan enter the room.

"Hey," she said, causing him to falter in his rhythm. So he stopped, grabbing onto the bag to keep it from swinging. He glanced in her general direction, but didn't look straight at her.

"Hey," he replied.

"So..." She came around to the other side of the punching bag, reaching out to touch it's not-broken-in leather. "I've spent time with everyone else but you."

"Yeah, so?"

"So..." she said again. "If you don't want me here, I'll leave."

"You mean, here as in the dojo, or..."

He finally met her crystal-blue eyes, and he saw the strength there. As well as determination and hesitation. She was serious – she and Emily would leave if he didn't want her in his home.

"Ah, why should it matta what I think?" He turned and bent down to get his water bottle. "You ain't got no other place ta go, so it seems like yer stayin' here."

Sloan bit her lip and looked at the punching bag. She pushed it experimentally, sending it swinging. "Why are you avoiding me?"

Raphael took a swig of water from the bottle. "Why'd ya save my life?"

"Uh, because you were gonna _die_ if I didn't push you out of the way."

"Yeah, but Emily needs you more than my brothers need me," Raph told her.

"I highly doubt that," Sloan answered, laughing slightly. "They've told me stories about how you've saved their butts with your berserker fighting. I wanna know the _real_ reason you won't come around me."

Raph looked at her, hoping she would give up when he didn't answer right away. Instead, she set her hands on her hips and set her jaw, her eyes boring into his. He sighed, looking back down at the floor.

"You...remind me of her."

Sloan paused before answering. "Hannah."

Just the sound of her name was enough to send Raph's blood boiling. Here it was, the middle of April, and he hadn't heard from her in months. It had been the beginning of January when they'd arrived back from the Battle Nexus, and a week later Raph had received an Iris message from her. He'd hoped he would get one every week, but that had been his only one. When he last spoke to her, Hannah seemed upset. She'd just attended the memorial service for her friend Micah. He remembered that she'd still been dressed in her mourning clothes. She'd been rolling to large gold coins in her fingers.

_"What're those?" he'd finally asked her. _

_Even though her appearance had been distorted by the water from the Iris message, he could still see the hesitation and mourning in her green eyes. They'd been rimmed in red from crying. _

_"Drachmas," she'd explained. "You're supposed to put them on the eyes of the deceased, so that when they have to cross the river Styx in the afterlife they can pay the boatman." She'd paused to wipe away a tear before continuing, her voice shaky. "But, seeing as Apollo already took care of...the b-body, they're more for tradition." _

_"What are you supposed to do with them, if not put them on the body?" _

_"Hold onto them, to remind you that no one is immortal." _

_Raphael had taken a long, hard look at her. He'd wanted to take in everything about her at that exact moment – when she was most vulnerable. When he thought she was the most beautiful. "Han, look at me." _

_She had. She'd tried to smile bravely, but it had faltered. _

_"I love you." _

_The smile had broken forth then. "I know, Red." _

"Yeah," he finally answered Sloan, pushing down the memory. "Which is silly, 'cause ya don't even look like her. An' she's taller, an' she doesn't have as many freckles."

Sloan laughed slightly. "Yeah, all my friend in school called me the 'red-headed step child'." She paused, and she seemed to be conflicted about something. Finally, she held out her hand to him. "Raph, can we be friends?"

"Huh?"

"I...I don't want you to think you can't be comfortable in your own home. I want us to be friends, so you can be at ease. Okay?"

Grinning slightly, Raph took her hand. "Fine by me. After talkin' to ya, it kinda helped. You really aren't like her at all."

"Well, then I'm glad to be of some service to you." She dropped his hand and pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the the door. "Come on, Em's down for a nap and Mikey's been itchin' to watch _The Hangover_. Wanna join?"

"Sure."

"Good. 'Cause you're making the popcorn."

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><p><strong>Yaaaay! Raph and Sloan are friends! :D Reviews welcome!<strong>


	10. Insight

**So...college is almost done for the semester - YAAAAY! So, I hope you guys like my Shredder (well not "like" per say...just that you think he's authentic and a meanie) also, I'm giving Hun a bit of a personality and a conscience...so I hope you all don't hate me for it :/ anywho, I hope you like this chapter! I only own my OC's and the plotline :)**

**BTW, there's a poll up on my profile iffin you wanna go vote on who Sloan will end up with - if no one votes, then I'm gonna go my own way with it...which you may not like -.- so...VOTE!**

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><p>Hun didn't like being called to his master's office. Granted, he'd been there enough that he shouldn't have been on edge; he should be used to it by now. But, he wasn't. He swallowed hard as he knocked on the door, still unsure of just what his master wanted. As he entered, Oroku Saki stood.<p>

"Ah, Hun," the man said. "You're here."

"You wanted ta see me, masta," the leader of the PD's answered. "I came."

"Yes. I wanted to ask you how our little..._operation_ was going. Do we have a nice...variety of products?"

Hun repressed a shudder at the Shredder's tone. The psychopath seemed genuinely happy that he had so many girls to choose from. Hun, playing it safe, put on his best sadistic smile.

"Yessir, masta Shredda."

Saki laughed. "Good." He turned to face the dark window, looking out over the New York city skyline. "Bring me the little one."

"The...the lil' one?" Hun asked. "Uh...which lil' one, sir?"

Saki turned and stared pointedly at the larger man. Under his gaze, Hun tried not to squirm. He was even more nervous now that he knew why Saki had called him in. He wanted the little girl – Emily – that had escaped with her older sister and the turtle freaks not three days prior. He did some quick thinking: tell him she escaped, or make up something instead? He chose the latter.

"She's, uh, not feelin' very good." He decided. "Sick."

Saki's eyes narrowed, and Hun hoped he couldn't tell he was lying.

"Fine. Bring me the older one." He turned his attention back to his window. "She needs to be broken anyway. Since none of your people have been able to do it, I'll do it _myself_."

Hun clenched his teeth to keep himself from cursing. How could he keep the Shredder from knowing that both the girls he wanted to see had escaped? And not only that, but that the turtle freaks had helped them do it? Again, Hun racked his brains to try and find something to tell his master. When he didn't answer right away, Saki strode up to him and pulled Hun's head down forcefully by his long blond ponytail.

"They ARE here, are they not?" Saki demanded. "Why are you hesitating, Hun?"

There was nothing for it. Hun hoped and prayed that his long-standing faithfulness to his master would save him when he delivered the bad news.

"Uh, see..." Hun began, his voice strained. "...they...that is, both girls...they ain't here no more."

Saki tugged harder on the man's hair, making Hun seriously regret the ponytail in the first place.

"_What_?"

"They...escaped a few days ago. Them...an' the turtles."

Saki pulled on the ponytail one more time before releasing the hulk of a man. Just when Hun thought he was safe, Saki suddenly jumped and aimed a flying round-house kick at Hun's head. It clipped him in the right temple, making his head spin and sending him back against the wall. Before he could recover, Hun felt Saki grab his shirt and pull his face down to his level, the snarling face of the Japanese man making Hun recoil.

"You had better be glad that you have been so _indisposable_ to my organization in the past. Consider this a warning. Next time, you will not be so lucky."

"Y-yes, masta Shredder."

Saki pushed him back against the wall and strode out of the room, calling for a Foot soldier to get him the surveillance footage of the night the turtles escaped. Hun exhaled shakily and slid down the wall to the floor. He tried not to think about how close he'd come to death.

The Shredder didn't know it, but Hun was secretly glad that the two sisters had escaped. He'd admired the older girl's spirit, and he didn't want to see the younger one separated from her sister. The fact that the turtles were the ones that helped them made him breathe easier; he may not like the turtles, but that didn't mean that they were bad people. Hun was the bad guy in this situation. At least, that was what he had to make everyone believe. He couldn't let them know about his secret, how he'd known the older girl - Sloan - for a long time. He once promised an old friend that he'd watch out for her.

Sloan's father - Jack Millar.

…

The brothers learned many things about their new friends in those first two weeks.

They learned that Emily was a little goof ball, which was probably why she got along so well with Mikey in the first place. Mikey taught her all his practical jokes and tricks, but luckily Sloan kept her younger sister out of trouble. She and Don took turns going over letters with her. Sloan had talked to them about teaching her Japanese, but before she could learn kanji, she had to learn English letters. Emily got along with all of them, even Raphael. After that first night where he'd read her _The Cat in the Hat_, she crawled into his lap and had him read her a different story before bed each night. Her favorites were _The Foot Book_ and _As The Whales Go By_ (because they were the longest Dr. Seuss books they had).

April and Casey both adored the little girl. Emily and Casey "wrestled" a lot, which somehow always ended with Emily sitting on Casey's stomach looking smug and Casey acting like she'd knocked him out. Whenever April was around during her lessons, she'd also help Emily with her letters. She'd brought down a book from her shop that was specifically designed to help young children learn their letters and words. It was called 'Letter Land' and each letter had a name. It was Emily's second-favorite book.

Although a lot of time was spent around Emily, the brothers took to watching Sloan as well. Through this simple act, they learned many more things about her as well. Once her sleeping patterns evened out, she was always one of the first ones up after Leonardo. He'd come into the kitchen after his solitary workout and meditation to find her already brewing both his and Master Splinter's tea and Donnie's coffee, cooking breakfast, and making herself her special cup of herbal tea with lemon and honey. Every morning was the same, save for the breakfast being cooked. Leo would always walk in and nod in her direction, and she'd greet him with a "good morning" of her own. She'd always smile, and he would always notice the dark circles under her eyes. He never commented on them, as she acted like nothing was wrong. So, he didn't see any reason to mention them.

Mikey enjoyed the fact that they had another cook living with them, as he no longer had to get up as early to cook breakfast. He took advantage of his time to sleep in...at least until one of his brothers came to wake him up for morning workouts and katas. He'd noticed Sloan watching them on numerous occasions, usually when they were working on particularly hard maneuvers and things that he could never get right the first time. And his older brothers always showed him up by either doing it better or faster than him, which only succeeded in making him more upset. He wanted to show off for Sloan. He really liked her – she always treated him fairly and listened to what he had to say. Where his brothers would dismiss his theories on comic books and TV shows as silly fantastical stuff, Sloan would always listen and provide her own theories and ideas. She always seemed to be genuinely interested in his imaginings.

Once things were straightened out between them, Raphael found that Sloan was actually pretty cool. She didn't mind his occasional use of language, even though she did ask him to curb it when Emily was around. She laughed at his coarser jokes and even participated in a few "that's what she said" quips of her own. He already knew she was tough, but he had the great fortune to actually catch her displaying her softer side one morning. While Leo was still meditating, Raph had decided to get up early and help Sloan with breakfast. She deserved it. Upon descending the stairs, Raph had distinctly heard a girl's singing voice coming from the kitchen. He'd sneaked up to the doorway, not wanting to scare Sloan into stopping. He'd heard her sing before, that one time in the cell, but this was different. She wasn't singing to calm her sister, and her voice was stronger than it had been that first time. Raphael hadn't recognized the song, but that hadn't mattered to him. He'd simply stood there, enjoying Sloan's clear voice.

"_Something has changed within me, something is not the same. _

_I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game. _

_Too late for second guessing, too late to go back to sleep. _

_It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap. _

_It's time to try defying gravity, I think I'll try defying gravity. _

_Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity, and you won't bring me down._"

Donatello found himself watching Sloan more and more. He watched her interactions with Emily, amazed at how she seemed to be able to be a sister and a mother at the same time. He marveled at her patience with Mikey and her respect for Master Splinter. He noticed that she was finally putting on weight, which was good. He'd been worried for a while that something worse than malnutrition was keeping her skinny. After the first couple of days, in which Sloan had had to take it easy on the food, she'd attacked almost every meal with fervor. Donnie quickly found out that her metabolism was almost as fast as Mikey's – Sloan could eat a half of a pizza on her own in one sitting, and not gain any weight. She'd explained it to him once, telling him that she'd been both an athlete and a dancer before her parents had died.

Don could see it, too. She frequently went barefoot and wore shorts in the lair, and he noticed her well-developed calf and ankle muscles, not to mention her arms and core. She was working out a little. Day by day, she increased in what she did and her intensity with which she did it. Donatello monitored her closely, not allowing her to push herself too hard. She was still recovering, after all.

Unfortunately, all the food and workouts in the world couldn't help Sloan at night. A few times, she'd actually woken up screaming because of her nightmares. The first time it happened, Mikey had been the only brother in the lair. Emily, unlike a normal four-year-old, was out like a light as soon as her head hit the pillow, and it was hard to wake her back up. Splinter had taken the three eldest brothers topside for a supply run, leaving Sloan and Mikey in charge. It had been three in the morning, and Mike had literally jumped out of bed before he was fully awake, rushing up the stairs to Sloan's room. He threw the door open and, upon seeing her thrashing around in her blankets, crossed the room and took her wrists in his hands.

"Sloan," he said. "Hey, dudette, wake up. It's just a bad dream."

She'd jolted awake, cold sweat making her shirt stick to her. She shivered and sat up, not acknowledging Mikey.

"You okay?" he asked after a while.

Sloan swallowed and nodded. "Just a bad dream, like you said." Her voice came out strained.

"Yeah, I get those sometimes too. Normally after I see a scary movie or something. This one time, I dreamed the wolf man was commanding a horde of zombie Foot ninjas, and they were all coming after me! They were kinda pathetic, seeing as they could only move, like, really slow. But, still, I was terrified!" Mikey went on animatedly, using his hands to tell the story. "Even though the dream was scary, when I woke up I wasn't scared anymore 'cause it wasn't real."

Sloan sighed, pulling her legs up to her chest and hugging her knees. "That's great, Mike. But..." She paused. "That only works when the nightmares are just that – dreams."

Mikey looked at her, confused. "But, aren't all nightmares dreams?"

Sloan shook her head. "Mine are memories."

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><p><strong>I hope I provided enough insight in this chapter...it seems like its just paragraph after paragraph after...well, y'know. Reviews are always welcome! :D<strong>


	11. Well That Was Weird

**So I see some people have voted on my poll...yaaay! Thank you, both of you! That's right, only TWO people have voted so far. Now, I'll keep it up till...let's say Friday night. If I don't get at least ten votes in any direction, I'm gonna go my own way with this story (and that may not be the way you want it to go...so VOTE!) For those of you who are rooting for Donnie...you may not like this chapter. For those of you who have read "Turtles of Olympus"...you probably _will_ like this chapter :) At least, I hope you do *cringes* please like it? Please?**

**Anyway, here's chapter 11! I only own my OC's and the plotline. Thank you to all the reviews I've gotten so far - I love knowing that people like my story and I love hearing what you all have to say :) Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"What's so amazing that keeps us star gazing<em>  
><em>and what do we think we might see?<em>  
><em>Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.<em>  
><em>The lovers, the dreamers and me."<em>

_~ Rainbow Connection by The Muppets_

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><p>"What do you mean, they're memories?" Raphael asked.<p>

"Well, think about it." Don stopped spinning in his work chair and faced his brothers, sitting around him in his lab. "Who knows what else those creeps did to her while she was in that cell? What we saw was only a few hours' worth of what Sloan had to endure those two weeks."

"So," Leo said. "She's been reliving everything at night."

Don nodded. "And its impossible to help her because she won't tell me what they are."

"She wouldn't talk to me afterwards, either," Mikey told them. "Like, once she told me what they were, she just...shut down." He shrugged.

"I'm hesitant to ask her to describe it," Donatello went on. "Because I don't want to make her feel worse. But, unless she faces them head-on, the dreams won't stop."

The brothers sat in silence, each trying to find a way to ease Sloan's pain. When none could figure anything out, Mikey jumped down from where he'd been sitting on the workbench.

"Welp," he said. "Maybe a good movie night will help. Casey n April are picking the flick, and they should be down in a bit." He strode out the door, muttering about which made a better snack – popcorn with chocolate syrup or nachos piled with two inches of cheese on top.

Leo chuckled and followed his youngest brother out, leaving Don and Raph to finish working on the Battle Shell's tune up. He searched the lair for Sloan, coming to a stop when he heard the shower going in the bathroom. He stuck his head to the door and heard her soft singing coming from within. He smiled to himself as he recognized the lyrics of _Rainbow Connection. _

"Whatcha doin'?"

Leo jumped and fell back against the bathroom door, his shell banging against the wood. His heart racing, he glared at Mikey – who was smirking at him, his eye ridges raised mischievously.

"Mike," he said. "Y-you scared me."

Mikey just laughed. "Uh-huh. What were you doin', hanging out by the bathroom door?"

"Uh, n-nothing. I was just wondering where Sloan had gone."

"Obviously the shower. Perhaps you were thinkin' of surprising her when she got out?" He wagged his eye ridges suggestively.

Leo felt his cheeks burning, and he knew the darkened by the way Mikey laughed at him. "N-no, I –"

"Aw, save it, Leo, I was just messin' with ya." Mike told him, turning away. "Casey and April are here."

"Okay." Leo hadn't taken two steps away from the door before it opened. He smelled the peach-scented soap before he turned to see Sloan standing there, framed by steam. Her hair wet.

Wrapped in a towel.

"Did you knock?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"Uh...um, nothing. Uh, Mikey was just...rough-housing and-and pushed me into the..." He trailed off, noticing that her skin seemed to glow pink, making her blue eyes stand out. They were unnaturally blue, almost as blue as his bandanna. He felt his cheeks color again, but he didn't care. The towel Sloan wore suddenly seemed to be on the small side.

"...the door?" she finished for him, smiling slightly. Leo's heart pounded at the sight of it. "I thought something was actually wrong."

"No. Everything's..."

Sloan shifted, and the towel slipped a little lower around her. Leo felt his face go slack slightly.

"...fine."

She laughed a little bit at his dumbfounded expression. "Well, I'm gonna finish in here. I'll be done soon." She closed the door softly, and Leo heard the lock click behind her. Leo stepped back and shook his head, trying to clear it. That was weird.

Not unwelcome, but weird.

He went back into the main room of the lair to see April and Casey sitting comfortably on the couch. Don and Raph had joined them, and Mike was in the kitchen. Master Splinter was just arriving at the same time as Leo. He took his usual spot in his recliner, looking over his family. Leo crossed his arms and stood beside the couch, trying to forget how much clean skin Sloan had been showing earlier.

"Hey, Leo, what's your pleasure?"

"Huh?"

He started and found Casey looked at him expectantly. He was holding out two DVD cases – _Sherlock Holmes _and _V for Vendetta_.

"How 'bout _V_?"

"Yeah, I think V kicks more ass than Sherlock, anyway," Raph said as Casey put the DVD into the player.

"Language, Raphael," Splinter scolded half-heartedly. Leo sat down on the other side of the couch the same time Mikey and Sloan entered the room.

"What are we watchin'?" she asked, sitting down at April's feet. The older woman immediately reached for Sloan's hair so she could braid it.

"_V for Vendetta._"

"I like that one," Sloan told them, leaning her head back against April's knees. "I used to have a huge crush on V."

Raphael snorted. "Really?"

"Yeah, it was the sais that did it for me." Sloan winked at him, making everyone laugh and Raph blush.

"Ah, whatevah."

Sloan giggled a little more and turned her attention back on the movie. It was only about ten minutes later that the screen began to flicker, as did most of the lights in the lair. Then the lights went completely out.

"Aw, c'mon! It was just getting good!" Mikey complained, his mouth full of popcorn.

"I guess the power's out," Don murmured, glancing up at the ceiling. "Maybe its another blackout?"

"Hold on," Leo said, getting up. He made his way carefully into the kitchen to grab a flashlight. He came back with three of them, turned them all on, and set them with the beams facing up so they would illuminate the living area. "That's better."

"But...the movie–"

"We can find something better to do besides watching a movie," Leo told his youngest brother. "Like a game or something."

"Oh! I know!" Mikey looked mischievously across the room at Sloan, who in turn raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

"We can play truth or dare!"

"No," Leo, Don, Raph, and Casey all said at the same time. Mikey hung his head, defeated.

"How about 20 questions?" Don suggested. "Who'll be the first subject?"

"Sloan!" April and Mikey answered.

"Oh, no," Sloan muttered, grimacing. The group laughed, then Mikey volunteered the first question.

"What're you most afraid of?"

Sloan raised her head as April finished braiding her hair and trained her blue eyes on Mikey. "Losing Emily, I'd think."

Leo could understand that. Sloan was the oldest, after all. He knew how protective she was of her younger sister. Just like he was protective of his brothers. He hated to think about how it would be if one of them were suddenly gone. He suppressed a shudder as he concentrated harder on the conversation.

"Okay, happier question!" April said. "What's your favorite type of music?"

Sloan snorted. "I don't have one. I guess I can find something good in every type." She shrugged.

"What about books?" Donnie asked. "I have to know."

"Mm," Sloan thought about it for a minute. "I guess some of my favorite authors include J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins."

Leonardo nodded. "_Hunger Games_, huh?"

Sloan held up the famous three-fingered salute – the three middle fingers on her right hand. "District 12 all the way."

"Anything less popular?" April wondered.

"Um...does Stephen King count?"

"I...guess?" Raph said. "What, like...the _Dark Tower_ series?"

Sloan nodded. "And _Salem's Lot_, with _real_ vampires."

Mikey laughed. "Yeah, none of that silly sparkling there."

"_Pfft_, those aren't vampires, those are sparkly pixies."

The whole group started laughing again, then only kept going when Sloan and Mikey made even more jokes about vampires.

"Dude, I'm just so _over_ the whole vampire-werewolf thing," Mikey eventually stated.

"Except for the _Underworld_ movies," Don stopped him. "Those are pretty good."

"And _Blade_. Don't forget those," Raph put in.

"You guys like the action movies, huh?" Sloan asked. The brothers and Casey nodded.

"And scary movies," Mikey said. "We _looooove_ scary movies."

"Correction – _you_ love scary movies," Don said.

"What, like _Paranormal Activity_ and stuff like that? I love those movies!" Sloan smiled.

Mikey shuddered. "Ugh, no PA for me, dudette. Waaaaay too real."

"_Tch_, pansy," Raph muttered.

Sloan laughed, a simple sound that almost gave Leo goosebumps. "I dunno, Raph, they're pretty intense. Have _you_ ever seen them?"

"Nope," he answered, fingering the hilt of one of his sais. "Seemed to silly ta me."

Sloan rolled her eyes. "Okay, Raph," she said, her tone obviously disbelieving. "We'll watch one soon – then we'll see who the _real_ pansy is."

…

"No! Jacob, you're being a total pansy!"

"But," the younger boy started, his heavy pike falling in the dirt in front of him. "I'm trying real hard! And why does _she_ get a sword?" He pointed to the girl across from him.

"Because I'm older!" Jenny told him, sticking her tongue out. "So there!"

"By two minutes!" Jacob retorted. "And Mom always said that you being first didn't make any difference! We're the same age!"

Hannah covered her face with her hands and groaned as the twins continued to argue. She cursed whatever higher power had put her up to teaching battle tactics to nine-year-olds. Which would have been Chiron and Ares. These kids were so annoying...and they wouldn't _be quiet_.

"OI!" Hannah shouted, causing the siblings to fall quiet. "Stow it and get back to fighting." She yanked the pike out of Jacob's hand and handed him a sword. "Here. Go at it."

Jacob smiled and charged at his sister, who proceeded to drop her sword and shield and run screaming across the practice field. Hannah just sighed and picked up the forgotten supplies, returning them to the armory as she passed it.

"Hey, Han," the Hephaestus boy running the armory said. "How're the lessons going?"

"How does it look like they're going?" she replied and pointed a thumb over her shoulder at the twins, who were still running around and screaming.

The boy laughed. "Maybe they should get a better teacher?" he said jokingly.

Hannah snorted. "They're gonna have to in another month or so." She shrugged. "I can't do this for much longer." She looked down as Jacob and Jenny ran right by her, reaching down and catching Jacob by the collar of his orange Camp Half-blood shirt. She grabbed the sword and let him go.

"Here." She put the sword on the table with the others and turned to leave.

Ever since she'd gotten back from the Battle Nexus tournament, Chiron had seemed to have something for her to do every week. At first it had only been a few chores here and there, but it had steadily turned to teaching younger campers and leading older campers in the games and battle scenarios. He'd told her that it was because she was to be a leader figure at the camp, seeing as she was both a legacy and one of the oldest campers there. But Hannah thought it ran much deeper than that. She thought Chiron was preparing her for a future at the camp. What he didn't know was that Hannah was planning on a future _away_ from the camp. She'd yet to tell him that she was leaving for the summer, but she knew she had to tell him soon.

She sensed a presence behind her and she turned, suddenly on edge. Upon returning, she was a lot more wary of the people around her at camp. It had taken her a good month to trust anybody again. Luckily, it was only her old friend Grover who had been following her.

"What's up, G-man?"

Even though he was her parents' age, Hannah still liked the older faun. He'd been a pretty cool guardian at the Nexus. That, and the fact that he was her godfather helped, too.

Grover shrugged. "Going up to the main house for a meeting. Chiron wants all the leaders there."

"Does that mean I have to go too?" Hannah asked. She really hoped she wouldn't.

"Nah," he replied, a small bit of a goat's bleat showing through in the sound. "But your parents do."

"So I'm free for the afternoon?"

"Looks like it." Grover nudged her. "What're you gonna do with yourself?"

"Head for the beach!" Hannah turned and pointed the opposite way they were going.

Grover laughed. "All right, see you later."

Hannah waved at him over her shoulder as she made her way to the ocean. She slipped off her shoes and socks, sinking her feet into the cool water. She sighed and sat down in the sand. She wanted to talk to her grandfather, maybe take a bit of a stroll under the water with him. But she knew he was currently tied up in Olympus with the other gods. It had been four months, and they were still sorting out all the damage Gaea and Kronos had done when they'd teamed up. It sometimes worried Hannah how close the two had come to taking everything over. But, thanks to the gods and demigods, they'd been subdued.

Hannah sat back and looked out across the waves. In her relaxed state, her mind wandered to a certain turtle, currently back in New York City. She hoped he was doing all right, that his family was getting along fine. She hadn't spoken to him since January, since after the services for Micah. She knew she probably should have, but she simply didn't have the time to sit down and have a good long conversation with him via Iris message. And she was loath to do so anyway – who knew what Iris took back to the gods? They could all be up there on their mountain laughing at Hannah's and Raph's relationship.

Hannah didn't care what the gods thought one way or the other, except maybe for her grandparents Poseidon and Athena. She wanted them to like Raph. She wanted them to like Raph very much. They should; after all, he was the one who had taken such good care of her at the Nexus. He'd stayed with her almost every moment after Micah died. He cared very deeply about her, and she knew it. She knew her parents could see it, and they were okay with it. Hannah smiled as she remembered the first time they had met Raphael and his brothers.

"One more month," she whispered to herself. "One more month, Raphael, and I'm all yours."

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><p><strong>Yup, I put Hannah in here :) I figured it was about time that she showed up. Now, if you haven't read "Turtles of Olympus" yet, I hope I have thoroughly confused you enough that you <em>have <em>to go and read it now :) muahahaha my evil plan is hatched! Reviews are always welcome! **


	12. You Don't Even Like Coffee!

**So, I know I just updated, but I have absolutely _nothing_ to do and the writing bug hit me. Also, I found a fluke in my story. In earlier chapters, I write that Sloan has light brown eyes. Later on, they magically turn blue...I'm sorry for the confusion *sigh* I blame college -.- For future reference, let's just say they're blue-as apparently that's what was in my head all along. One day, I may go fix it...but not today. In spite of that little hiccup, thank you to all my reviewers! Okay, time to get down to business. **

***cough, cough* Warning, this fic is rated T for a reason. If you were wondering just _what_ exactly Sloan's been dreaming about, it will all be revealed in this chapter. You have been warned. Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"Under your command, I will be your guardian when all is crumbling down, to steady your hand."<em>

~_Never Say Never by The Fray _

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><p>Donatello couldn't sleep. His mind was still mulling over everything he still needed to do for the work he'd been given. He tossed and turned, trying to think calming thoughts. He tried counting sheep, then his mind went to questioning the use of sheep in the first place. Were they supposed to make you calm because their coats looked like fluffy clouds? Which led to thinking about how clouds form. Which led to wondering if the machine Flint Lockwood created in <em>Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs<em> could really convert water to food. Which led to Donatello pacing the floor, trying to figure out how to create such a preposterous invention.

Sighing, he gave up on sleep and went downstairs to work on his current project. It was 2:30 in the morning, so he decided to start the coffee maker. He made his way into the kitchen, then pulled up short.

Sloan was sitting at the table, a mug clasped between her hands. The smell of coffee already permeated the air.

"Sloan?" he asked. "What are you doing up this early?" He grabbed his own mug from the cupboard and poured some coffee into it.

Sloan shrugged one shoulder. "Couldn't sleep."

Donnie didn't believe it for a second; she looked like she was about to collapse. "Couldn't," he said, sitting down across from her. "Or didn't want to?"

Sloan's gaze fell to the table, and she didn't answer.

"It's the nightmares, isn't it?" Don surmised. "Listen, I think the best thing for you to do is to talk about them. Maybe that'll –"

"_It_." She cut him off, finally finding his eyes. "There's only one nightmare. It keeps coming back." She looked down at her mug. "And I _don't _want to talk about it."

Don searched her face. "Okay, but look at you. You're keeping yourself awake with coffee." He gestured to her cup. "And you don't even _like_ coffee. I mean, when was the last time you got any sleep? And I don't mean the the ten-minute nap you took on the couch this afternoon." Don stopped her before she could say anything. "I'm talking about _real_ sleep."

Sloan sighed. "Three days."

"Three days of walking around here in a fog. My brothers and I don't want you to suffer anymore, so I'm gonna try to help you. You don't have to talk...but listen, okay?"

She took a deep breath and nodded.

"I've been consulting some psychology journals online, and a lot of them say that watching a parent's death can be traumatic to a child," Don told her. "And that's just generic _death_, not the murder you witnessed. God only knows what _that_ could do to a child's psyche." He paused. "Is...that the nightmare?"

Slowly, Sloan shook her head, which only made Donnie's confidence waver. He'd been so _sure_ that he had the answer.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Sloan began hesitantly, fingering the tail end of her long braid. "But I don't think my mother's murder is the problem. While I was in that cell, I did my crying over it. That first night was awful; I was so consumed by grief I could barely function. But, when I realized that crying about it wasn't going to get my sister and I out..." She shifted her cup around on the table. "I guess you could say I moved on." She looked up at the genius turtle.

Donatello could only stare, his chin resting on his fist and his elbow on the table.

"You think I'm a horrible person, don't you?"

Before he could stop himself, Don reached out and grasped her hand in his. "I think," he told her. "That you are the strongest, bravest, and most caring person I know. You did what was necessary for you to survive, what you deemed important to getting you and your sister out of that place. In no way does that make you a bad person."

She gave him a small smile. "Really?"

"Of course."

She pulled her hand back and stood, pouring her now-cold cup of coffee down the sink. She set the mug in the basin and went back to the table.

"So what are _you_ doing up? You workin' on somethin'?"

Don took a sip of his own coffee. "Yeah, something for a big law firm. They wanted me to test their new software, so I took the job. I'm about to get started on hacking it."

Sloan nodded, stifling a yawn.

"Look, Sloan – "

"I know, I know." She stood again. "I'll try to go get some sleep."

"That's all I ask." He smiled and sipped his coffee again as Sloan got up. She surprised him with a kiss on the cheek, making him almost choke on his mouthful of liquid.

"G'night, Mr. Hacker," she told him, walking out of the kitchen.

…

_You are _nothing_. You will never amount to anything in this world. All you can do is lay there...you can't fight back, you can't do anything to stop it. How's that feel, huh? _

Sloan cried out and sat up. All around her, there were laughing faces. The Purple Dragons had found her. And they'd captured her again. She could feel all the old wounds she'd received being ripped open again. The Dragons kept slashing and cutting away at her. She felt them holding her down, forcing her to –

No, she had to fight back. She thrashed in her blankets, under their hands, trying to get away.

"No!" she cried. "Let me go! Get off me! Get–"

"Sloan!" a voice cried. The rough hands at her wrists were replaced with strangely gentle ones, stroking, trying to calm her down. "Sloan, wake up, please!"

"No, I–Get off!"

She was suddenly embraced in warmth. It held her against a firmness that gave a little under her touch.

"Sloan," the same voice said into her ear. "You need to wake up."

The Purple Dragons had disappeared. She was back in her room at the Lair. Her eyes shot open and were immediately accosted by green. Nothing but green. She inhaled a strange scent, something that was a combination of sword-polishing oil and leather and soap.

She sat back, feeling herself shaking. All she could do was breath harshly.

"Sloan?" Something touched her face, her chin, lifted her face up. She found Leo's dark eyes staring down at her, filled with concern. "Are you all right?"

Sloan bit her lip to keep the sob from escaping, but it didn't work. She burst into tears and leaned her forehead against Leo's shoulder. He held her, stroked her back, whispered soothing words to her. When she finally calmed down enough, he let her go. She sat back against her pillows, sniffing.

"How...how much did you hear?" she asked.

"Enough," he said simply. He reached out and wiped the tears from her cheeks, scooting closer to do so.

"You've figured it out," she said, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. "What the dream is."

Leo didn't say anything, and Sloan glanced up to try to gauge his reaction. His gaze was trained steadily on the floor, his eyes narrowed. She could see his shoulders trembling slightly with tension.

"Leo?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Are...are you mad?"

His eyes flashed and he suddenly stood, heading for the door. Sloan jumped up and ran to intercept him.

"Leo, hold on –"

"Every Dragon is gonna pay for what they did to you," he growled. "Every single _damn_ one! They all deserve to be ripped apart!"

"Leo stop!" Sloan knew she couldn't hold the stronger turtle back for long, so she did the only thing she could think of: she threw her arms around his middle and held on tight.

"Please," she said. "Please stop."

She physically felt the fight go out of him, and his hands came to rest on her shoulders. She looked up into his face, seeing the emotion in it.

"Leo–"

He enfolded her in a tight hug, almost crushing the wind out of her. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. I...I don't know what else I can say. Nothing is going to change the fact that it happened. I can't...I can't take it back for you."

Sloan sighed. "You don't need to take the burden of what happened to me on your shoulders, got it?" She pulled back and poked him hard in the shoulder. "Believe it or not, this same thing happens all the time. Often, those women aren't lucky to have a family that can care for them. You guys and Emily are the only thing that...that keeps me getting up in the mornings. And that's mainly because I know Donnie would have a conniption if I don't come downstairs for breakfast every morning."

"But, Sloan, they..." Leo started. "I-I can't even say it."

"I know," she answered. "Listen, I seriously don't want anyone else to know, all right? I don't even like the fact that _you_ know."

"You can't keep this all bottled up inside, though," Leo told her. "It just going to eat away at you."

"I'll be fine. I just wish you could forget it." She stepped out of his arms and gently pushed him towards the door.

"That's not gonna happen, Sloan," Leo said. "I want you to feel safe, to get at least one good night's sleep. Forgive me, but it's the older sibling gene in me."

Sloan shook her head slightly. "And how do you propose I get this sleep? Every time I try, I end up having that same _stupid_ dream."

"What if someone was there to wake you up? Or just to be there so you can see you're not alone, and that the dream isn't real?"

Sloan scoffed and sat back down on her bed. "And who would do that?"

"I would."

She looked up at the eldest turtle, surprised. "Really?"

In answer, Leo grabbed the chair from her desk and pulled it over beside her bed. He sat down and looked at her, eye ridges raised.

"I can't ask you to do that for me," she told him.

"You're not asking anything. I..." He shifted on the chair, getting comfortable. "...am volunteering." He grinned at her.

Sloan sighed, exasperated. "_Fine_. If you wanna waste your time babysitting me, I won't stop you." She lay down with her back to the blue-banded turtle and pulled her blankets up to her chin. "Goodnight."

Leo laughed slightly at her irritation. "'Night."

…

She pretended to be asleep. Once she heard his deep, even breathing, she turned over onto her other side and looked at him. He was stretched out in the chair, his chin resting on the top of his plastron. He snored softly, a hand resting on her mattress. Sloan was amazed that he'd stayed. She had expected him to leave once he thought she was asleep. And yet, here he was.

She studied him as he slept. He seemed so much younger, as if sleep had erased all the lines of worry around his face. Awake, he always seemed like he was on edge about something, always on his toes. But here, standing guard by her bed, he seemed to finally relax. Sloan counted herself lucky that she would be able to see Leonardo's more carefree side.

Her gaze fell to his hand, and she saw the many tiny scars on it. They crossed his knuckles, and when she gently took it in her own and turned it over she saw some on his palms as well. She sighed. She really shouldn't have complained about a few nightmares. Leo and his brothers had had it much worse than she. Hers only lasted the two weeks she was in the cell – there's lasted their whole life.

She felt ashamed. Not only for thinking she had it bad, but for Leo finding out about her nightmare. She felt dirty, used, and she wondered why Leo would be helping her. She was no better than the common whore, the Dragons had said so to her face. Many times. Never mind the fact that they'd forced her, held her down, enjoyed her pain and screams.

Sloan shook her head. Now was not the time to be thinking about the past. There was nothing that could be done about it. She had to move on.

But that still didn't stop the Dragons' voices from entering her thoughts all the time.

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><p><strong>Why oh why am I so mean to Sloan? Stick with me, though, it gets better. I promise! Reviews welcome!<strong>


	13. Feelings

**Chapter 13! Hooah! Just a few announcements - the poll is now closed. I accidentally left it up until Monday, buuuuut seeing as I only got five (yes, FIVE) votes, I decided to close it. Leo and Donnie tied with two votes each, while Mikey got one (poor Mikey) I was thinking that ten votes for one choice was a little steep, so I changed it to five...seeing as the biggest number was TWO...you get the picture. I'm probably going to go my own way with this. I'll take the voters' preferences into consideration (thank you VOTERS ^-^), but some of you may not like how things turn out. Too bad, ya should've voted. **

**Anywho, I'm** **gonna take this opportunity to thank all my reviewers. ALL of them...here we go. *deep breath* - dondena, Jess Marylin, kaaayyytteee, dragoscilvio, Designation Drift, Livangel16, Biocide, aaaaaand Puldoh. Whew, I think that's everyone. THAAAAAANK YOOOOUU! **

****kaaayyytteee has done me a wonderful favor, so I shall return it. She has this crazy-cool story for TMNT called "The Oracle of Green", and it is one of my absolute FAVORITES! Seriously, you should go check it out, kaaayyytteee is an amazing writer. ^-^ *ahem* Miss kaaayyytteee, your awesomeness is showing :)**

**Also keep in mind that this fic is T for a reason...Enjoy! :D**

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><p><em>"You with the sad eyes, don't be discouraged, oh I realize its hard to take courage in a world full of people<br>__In a world full of people, you can lose sight of it all and the darkness inside you can make you feel so small."_

_-_True Colors by the cast of Glee (originally by Cindi Lauper)

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><p>Saki was not a patient man. He stood, staring into his mirror, as his ninjas placed various bits of armor on him. He had numerous groups searching the city for the turtles and the girls, and he was currently waiting for them to report back. As a ninja placed his gauntlet on his right hand, Saki's dark eyes went to his second-in-command.<p>

Hun had not seemed right since telling the Shredder the girls had escaped. He was distant, and he hadn't said a single word to Saki. Not that the Shredder cared, but every now and then Hun would give his Master a scathing look. It didn't bother Saki, not in the least, but it _did _make him wonder if Hun had far outlived his usefulness. Now, the man stood obediently by his Master's side. But Saki didn't know how long he would be there, blindly following orders. He couldn't afford to lose the burly man – he knew too much about Saki's organization to be trusted outside the Foot.

"Sir!" A ninja ran into the room and fell at the Shredder's feet. "We believe we've found them."

"Where?" Saki asked, clenching his fist. The lights above glinted off the long steel claws on his gauntlet.

"A group spotted one in Central Park, by the old castle. We believe they're inside the structure."

Saki smiled evilly; he was going to enjoy this.

…

It was as if a switch had been turned off. As Leo sat there watching Sloan sleep, he couldn't help but notice how her face lost all traces of worry and fear. She seemed so much younger to him. So much...

...prettier.

He'd been staying in her room for three nights now. He'd always been able to sleep, whether in the chair or on the floor. But tonight, he just couldn't find solace in sleep. Instead, he sat in his chair and watched Sloan. He was very worried about her. In the days since he found out about her dream, he'd noticed that she'd become more and more detached from the brothers. She didn't laugh as often at Mikey's jokes. When Raphael picked around with her, she never responded – she just smiled slightly and stayed quiet. She didn't help Don with her younger sister's schooling. She didn't get out of bed until late afternoon, and retired early – she was always asleep when Leo went into her room to check on her.

He didn't know if it was the fact that he was present, or if she was just too tired to have the dream. She'd slept peacefully ever since. Maybe just letting someone else know about it had helped; she was sharing her burden. Leo had almost made up his mind to go back to his own room, but he didn't want to risk not being there if she _did_ happen to have the dream.

Sloan made a small noise in her sleep, her brow furrowing, and her fingers curled around her blanket. Leo's hand was resting on the mattress near hers, and he moved to brush the reddish-blond hair out of Sloan's face. Unable to look away from her, Leo began to lightly rub the space between her eyes with his thumb. He knew he would have to confront her about her recent behavior when she woke up. He sighed.

He didn't know what was coming over him. Here he was, the leader of his brothers. He was supposed to be the strong one...and yet he knew that he would do anything this girl asked. He didn't know what was coming over him, but he knew that it was nothing he'd ever felt before. It was strange to him, but he didn't think it was a bad thing.

_Anyway, its only protective instinct,_ he mused. _But...on a more extreme level. _

Leo had been the one to carry her when she had been shot. He had been the one to volunteer to stay with her so she would be able to sleep. He almost felt _responsible_ for her, much like how she felt about Emily. Only, they were sisters.

Leonardo didn't know _what_ exactly he and Sloan were.

...

Don stared at the information on his computer screen. It was the same bit of information that had been plaguing him for the last hour or so. He knew he should really get started on cracking the system, but at the moment he just couldn't concentrate. His mind was still on a certain red-headed girl. And for once it wasn't April.

Sloan was strong, wildly independent, and possessed an amazing personality. Don had seen all this from the first moment they'd met her. Every single time her ice-blue eyes met his, Don could feel a strange tingle pass down his spine. A tingle that he _liked_.

He could still feel the spot where she'd kissed him, three days later. It seemed to burn with a slow fire, as if she'd branded him. Or maybe that was just his cheeks flaming at the thought of the kiss. Absentmindedly, he reached up and touched the spot, still slightly transfixed by it.

He hadn't missed the way Sloan was acting, and he recognized the fact that she was getting worse every day. He was just at a loss as to what to do. If Mikey hadn't been able to cheer her up, he felt that his chances at doing so were nonexistant. He rubbed his tired eyes, once again trying to focus.

It was no good.

Just when he was about to give up, Mikey bounded into the lab. The orange-banded turtle grabbed the back of Don's work chair, spinning the genius around and ducking behind his shell.

"Mikey, what are you –"

"He's gonna get me, Donnie!" Mike exclaimed. "Save me!"

"What –"

"_C'mere you little pinhead!_" Raphael exclaimed as he burst through the lab door. The red-banded turtle was covered in what looked like flour and egg goo. Don was actually surprised that the egg hadn't started frying on his face – his look was _that_ angry.

Mikey yelped and tried to dive away from Raph, but he easily caught him by the ankle.

"_Haaaalp!_" Mike screeched as he grabbed the doorframe. He turned pleading blue eyes to his older brother. "Don, y'don't know what he's gonna do to me!"

Don fought hard to keep his smile off his face. He failed miserably. "Mikey, whatever he does to you, I'm _sure_ you deserve it."

Michaelangelo howled as Raph finally succeeded in pulling him away from the door. Don laughed as he heard his immediate older brother's shouts. His family was weird, but he wouldn't trade them for the world. Shaking his head, he turned back to his computer screen.

"Whatcha doin?" a little voice asked.

Don looked down to find Emily's brown eyes staring back up at him. Apparently she had entered the lab unnoticed amongst all the confusion. She smiled and climbed into his lap before he could answer.

"Can I play on the computer?" she asked.

"Not now, Em, I'm...oh, what the heck." He saved his work and exited out of the program, handing her the mouse. "Do you wanna go over some letters again?"

"Yeah!" She knew just where to go. She opened up the program that allowed her to play games with her "letterland friends". She was immediately engrossed in the game, not needing any help whatsoever. Don watched her play for a while before he realized that there was another presence in the room. He looked over his shoulder to find Leo standing by the door.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey." Leo seemed distracted by something, Don noticed. He was fidgeting with the tie around his belt, a gesture Donatello had only seen the eldest turtle do when he was nervous or thinking about something.

"What's up, Fearless?"

"Um..." Leo started, leaning against the medical cot on beside Don's workbench. "Donnie, h-how do you feel about...Sloan?"

"Oh...wh-what do you mean?" Don prayed that his cheeks stayed their natural color. The last thing he wanted was for his brothers to know how he felt about their current guest.

"Well," Leo continued, crossing his arms. He paused, as if thinking about his words. "What do you think we could do to snap her out of whatever funk she's in?"

Don opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the little girl in his lap.

"Is Sissy sad?" Emily asked.

Leo smiled sadly. "Yeah, small fry. We're trying to cheer her up."

Emily hopped off Don's lap and stood in front of the leader. "Maybe she needs her violin," she said with a grin. "That always made her happy when we lived in the big building."

Don and Leo exchanged a look, the former grinning. An idea was forming.

"Wasn't there an old violin in one of the cases in April's shop?"

Leo didn't answer – he was halfway across the lab, heading for the phone.

...

Things were getting worse.

Sloan turned over in her bed, feeling like she could actually breathe since Leo had left. She didn't mind him staying in her room...she just hated pretending to be asleep so he wouldn't worry. She knew that she was acting stupid. She didn't want to worry anyone. But, she no longer felt any desire to do anything. It was a daily battle just to get out of bed every morning (or evening, as it were). Sloan didn't enjoy movie nights anymore, or watching the boys spar, or even talking to her younger sister. She just didn't want to do _anything_.

On top of it all, she didn't _feel_ anything, either. Excitement, hunger, anger, none of it. There was just..._nothingness_.

_Stop this_ she thought. _What was it Coach Hedrick used to say? 'Get off your pity-party and get your ass in the game!'_

Sloan smiled slightly at the thought of her old basketball coach, but the smile quickly fell.

_How many times have I tried?_ She sat up and hugged her knees. _How many times have I gotten out of bed and told myself to perk up? I never have...I haven't even been able to. What am I even _doing_ hiding away up here?_

But she knew the answer. She was distancing herself so the turtles and her sister would learn to live without her. She didn't know what exactly she was going to do, but she knew she couldn't stay around. She didn't deserve to. She was nothing...and she always would be. She had turned into an unfeeling person, who didn't care what happened to them.

She forced herself to get up and go to the bathroom, just to make an appearance so no one would worry. She locked herself in, then turned on the faucet. She stared at herself in the mirror, grimacing at her bedraggled appearance. She pulled her hair back and splashed cold water on her face. As she dried off, a small glint over in the shower caught her eye.

Her razor.

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><p><strong>Okay...I'm sorry Sloan :'( hang with me, okay? This is getting tougher and tougher to write because its becoming more personal...but it gets better! Reviews are always welcome!<strong>


	14. New Toy

**Yaaaaay for another long chapter! :D Thank you all for your reviews, and I think I need to add to the mix ^-^ Thanks you guys for sticking with this so long...cause here's where it gets better :) Again, I only own my oc's and the plotline. You guy's enjoy!**

****Okay, so I reeeeally hope you guys are looking up the music I keep posting. Some of these songs are absolutely perfect for the chapter that follows them...this isn't one of them, it's just some lyrics that stood out to me. All the songs I use can be found on my iPod, and forgive me for trying to share a bit of my favorite music. But, seriously...look them up 0-0. Okay, here we go.**

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><p><em>"But I took your matches before fire could catch me so don't look now,<br>I'm shining like fireworks over your sad, empty town."  
>~<em> "Dear John" by Taylor Swift

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><p>It was as if some outside force was guiding her hand. She stepped towards the tub, reaching out shaking fingers for the razor. She picked it up and held it gently, as if it could bite her if goaded. The blades seemed to stand out in sharp relief; the light glinting off them sent stabs of pain through her eyes.<p>

She was so starved for emotion, she thought she would do _anything_ to be able to feel something again. Maybe a little bit of pain was what she needed to make her seem normal again.

_Go ahead_ the voice of the Purple Dragon whispered. _Do it. After all, you want to make sure you can still feel, right? _

Taking a deep breath, Sloan placed the blades of the razor on her left forearm, right above her elbow. All she had to do now was put a little bit of pressure on it and draw it across her skin. How hard could it be? Still, the razor didn't move. Her hand never wavered, but it seemed like there was something that was screaming at her to stop, to put the razor aside.

A knock on the door startled her so badly that the blade actually did nick her skin, although it was nowhere near deep enough to draw serious blood. She exhaled shakily, finally snapping out of whatever trance she'd been in. Gritting her teeth angrily, she flung the razor back into the tub. It hit the tiled wall so hard that it broke into three different pieces.

"Hey, Sloan!" Mikey called. "You okay in there?"

"Yeah Mike," she answered, not able to tear her eyes away from the razor. She'd been so close to actually _cutting_ herself. Had she really fallen that far into depression?

She tore her eyes away and wiped the small amount of blood off her arm. "That's it," she muttered. "Time to cowgirl up."

She was the girl who had gotten over her mother's death within a few hours. She was the one who had withstood so much torture, escaped from her prison, and risked her own life to save a friend's. She was stronger than this.

She stood in front of the mirror again, narrowing her blue eyes in determination.

"No more 'Miss Pity-party'."

...

"Really? That's great, April!" Leo said into the phone. "Yeah, I'll be by in a bit to get it." He hung up and turned excitedly to Don. "It's still there."

"Sweet!" Donatello answered. "How much is she asking for it?"

"That's just it – the guy who brought it in practically gave it to her, told her to sell it for whatever she wanted." Leonardo's smile widened. "I explained the situation to her, and she's _giving it to Sloan_!"

Don stared at him incredulously. "_Seriously_? That's awesome!"

"Yeah, so I'm gonna take Mike and go get it." Leo raced out of the room and grabbed his trench coat and hat. "Mikey! Come on, we're going to April's!"

Michelangelo raced down the stairs and threw on his coat as well. He never needed an excuse to go to their other red-headed friend's house. "What's at April's?"

Leo held up a finger to his lips. "A surprise for Sloan," he whispered. "Something that's gonna cheer her up...I hope."

"What is it?" Mike whispered as they exited the lair. As soon as the camoflauged door closed behind them, Leo raised his voice.

"Emily let it slip that Sloan used to play her violin when she was sad. Remember that old violin in April's shop?"

Mikey stared. "The one that looks like its about a hundred years old?"

Leo nodded. "They say instruments like that only get better with age."

"But...but that's gotta be really expensive."

"It's gonna be a gift," Leo explained as they reached a ladder to a manhole. "April's letting us have it, and it'll be from all of us."

"Wait." Mikey started climbing up after his brother. "So...we're getting it _for_ _freeeee_?" He drew out the word, imitating Adam Sandler.

"Yeah." Leo laughed and exited the sewer. He took a deep breath of "fresh" New York air, waiting for Mikey to join him on the surface.

"Dude, that's like..._uber_ cool," the youngest turtle said, pulling the manhole cover back into place. Leo pulled his hat down low over his face and set off towards April's.

...

Mikey could only stare at the violin. He'd never before seen such a beautiful instrument. It was a very light brown, with the chin-rest and the bridge being black. Beside him, Leo gently touched the smooth wooden facing of it.

"I got it appraised when the guy brought it in," April told them, looking over the violin proudly. "He told me some interesting things."

Leo lifted the violin out of its case, where it had been nestled against dark blue velvet. He held it amazingly carefully, Mikey noticed, as if it were made of glass. "Like what?"

"Well," April went on. "For one thing, this violin was really a fiddle used during the Civil War."

Mike and Leo immediately turned their full attention onto the woman. Leo carefully placed the violin back in its case.

"I didn't think it was _that_ old," he said.

Mikey took another good look at it. "It doesn't look like it could be."

"Well, that's the other thing. This violin got a bit of an upgrade." April picked the instrument up and turned it around to face the two turtles. "See how the back and the sides are a different color than the front?"

She was right – where the back and the sides of the instrument were a dark orangeish-brown, the front was that strange light brown. It was almost the color of sand, it was so light, and it didn't seem to be finished at all. There were also numerous stratches in the glossy finish on the sides and back, as if the violin really had been through a war. There was a strange grayish gunk coating the strings where a person would normally play it, and the metal tuning pegs at the base of it were coated in a thick layer of rust.

April pointed to the F-holes in the front. "And see how these aren't symmetrical?"

Again, she was right. The holes were both evenly spaced on the facing, but they were no where near mirror images of each other. The bottom of one had been carved to be bigger than the others, and the little cut-outs on each side of the "_f _" shape weren't even on either.

"This isn't the violin's original face," Leo surmised.

"Not in the slightest," April agreed. "But, _this_ face was hand-carved. I would think that would only increase the value of this instrument."

"Why in the world would someone just _give_ this thing away?" Mikey asked. "If it's so valuable, they could've made a killing on eBay."

"I think," April said. "This was actually a part of a police investigation. It came from an apartment where a murder took place. After checking it for evidence, the police noticed it's...unique appearance, and brought it here. I guess they figured it would sell."

Mikey, who had seen just enough episodes of _Haunted Collecter _to be worried, gulped. "You don't think a spirit's attached itself to the violin, do you?"

April laughed. "If it did, its a very quiet ghost. I've never had any problems in the shop." She patted the youngest turtle's shoulder lightly. "Maybe you should cut back on the ghost shows, huh?"

"Y-yeah," Mike answered. "But, the first time something freaky happens in the lair, I'm blaming you."

She smiled. "You do that, Mike. Anyway..." She set the violin back down and closed the case. "It obviously needs a little TLC, but I know I guy who owes me. I think I could have it ready for you in a few hours, if you guys just wanna wait upstairs with Casey. I think he's got the game on."

"Sweet!" Mikey shouted. "NCAA tournament! Let's do this!"

...

Sloan entered the Lab and tried to quietly sneak up on Donnie. Unfortunately, her little sister heard her first.

"Sloan!" Emily cried. She launched herself off Don's lap, all thoughts of Letterland forgotten, and raced up to her sister. Sloan caught her under the arms and lifted her onto her hip.

"Hey, Em," she said, smiling for the first time in days. "How many letters did you learn today?"

"Three!" Emily held up two fingers, making both Sloan and Donnie laugh. The turtle stood as well, stretching, and walked over to the sisters.

"Maybe we should start working on numbers soon, huh, small fry?" He poked her in the stomach, and she laughed again.

"But, Don'tello," the little girl complained. "I _like_ letters."

"But you need to learn numbers, too," Donnie told her, laughing at her mispronunciation. "It's not that bad, I promise."

"Okay," Emily pouted, then struggled to get down. "I'm gonna go find Raffel." She bounded out of the lab, singing a song about the letter "M".

"You do realize that yours and Splinter's names are the only ones she knows how to say, right?" Don asked, turning to Sloan.

"Well, maybe you guys shouldn't have such hard names to say," Sloan joked.

"They are not hard to say."

"Uh, they are for a _four_ year old."

Donatello laughed, then narrowed his eyes playfully at the older girl. "Well, _you_ seem to be feeling a lot better."

"Yeah, I..." She paused, looking down. "I want to apologize for my behavior. I'm sorry I worried y'all." She glanced back up, and noticed him watching her intently. "I was being stupid, and it wasn't fair to any of you."

"It's okay, Sloan, I know how out of it you can get when you don't sleep."

Sloan bit back her surprise. He didn't know the _real_ reason she'd acted so depressed. Which meant Leo had upheld his promise not to tell.

"Yeah, I guess all I needed was some good sleep," she answered. "Anyway, I was going to make spaghetti tonight. Sound good?"

"As long as garlic toast is involved, I'm all for it."

Sloan smiled and left the Lab. She could do this – she could go on living despite all that she'd been through. It was possible. She smiledto herself as she gathered everything she would need for that night's dinner.

...

It was a good four hours later before Leo and Mikey returned. Mike entered the Lair first, making sure that Sloan was no where in sight. He motioned for Leo to come in and quickly make for the Lab. He was to hide the violin in there until it was time to give it to Sloan. Mikey followed his nose to the kitchen, where Sloan was busy cleaning up from dinner.

"Mmm...is that spaghetti I smell?"

Sloan glanced up from the pot she was scrubbing. "Hey," she said smiling. "How was your run?"

"Good." He immediately reached for a plate and spooned the now-cold pasta onto it. Once he was satisfied with the amount, he popped it in the microwave to reheat it. "Leo beat my shell in a race."

Sloan laughed. "I'm sorry." She smiled at the youngest turtle over her shoulder. "You'll get 'im next time, tiger." She bumped his hip with hers as he walked by her with his food.

"_Tch_, yeah right," he said. He took a bite of the spaghetti and moaned with pleasure. "Sloan, my taste buds are in _heaven_ right now. What's your secret?"

"It's my dad's recipie," she answered, putting wet dishes in the drying rack. "It's all in the sauce. A little chili powder and brown sugar can go a long way."

"Teach me your ways, oh wise one," Mikey said, shoveling more into his mouth. "Hey, can ya han' me a soda?"

Sloan chuckled at his full mouth. "Yeah, hang on." She opened the fridge and reached for a Coke right as Leo walked in.

"Dude, Leo," Mikey went on. "You gotta try this stuff. Its _amazing_!"

"Calm down, Mike." Sloan closed the refrigerator with her foot and set the soda down in front of the orange-banded turtle. "It's nothing special."

Leo laughed and crossed his arms. "I'm sure its great," he told her. "Don't play it down."

"Well, you want me to make you a plate, then? You can be the judge."

"Nah, I'm not hungry right now." Leo shook his head. "I'll get some later."

Sloan shrugged. "Suit yourself." She reached for the dishes again, planning to start drying them. That was until Leo reached out and grabbed her left wrist.

"What's that?" he asked, his voice soft in its intensity. He nodded at the small cut on her arm.

"Um..." Sloan glanced from Leo to Mikey, biting her lip. Mikey just sat there, his mouth full of food, watching the frozen scene before him. After a while, Sloan looked back down into the soapy water in the sink.

"Leo, what's – "

"Could you give us a few minutes, Mike?" Leo asked.

"But –"

"_Now_, Michelangelo."

The use of the youngest turtle's full name, coupled with the quiet authority of Leo's voice seemed to kick Mikey into a higher gear. He grabbed his plate and soda and swiftly left the kitchen.

Leo and Sloan were quiet for a few moments more. She still wouldn't look at him, and he wouldn't look away from her face.

"Care to explain this?" he asked.

Sloan sighed. "It's not what you think –"

"And just _what_ am I supposed to think?" Leo cut her off. "Sloan, are...are things that bad that you feel like you have to physically _hurt_ yourself to feel better?"

"It was an accident," she said softly, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"But _how did it happen_?" He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her around to face him. "Look at me, Sloan."

She did, meeting his eyes easily. But, she wouldn't talk.

"See, the fact that it's just so _perfectly_ placed where it is makes me think that you were going to attempt to cut yourself," Leo said. "And maybe you even tried, but didn't get very far. What happened, did you get interrupted?"

"Mikey scared me," Sloan told him, her voice small. "I...I was going to, you were right about that, but before I could move the razor away Mike knocked on the door and scared me, and when I jumped I cut myself just a little bit. But, its nothing serious, okay?" She pointed to the cut, already just a thin line. "See? Its not bleeding."

"But it _is_ serious. The fact that you were even _thinking_ about it worries me. I mean, what even made you want to do it?"

Sloan dropped her eyes, squeezing them shut. She didn't want to tell him, but she knew she had to. It was the only way they both were going to move past this. "There are these...voices." She pointed to her temple.

He waited a beat for her to elaborate. When she didn't, he spoke up. "What do they say?"

She shook her head, not able to repeat a lot of what they said. She heard Leo sigh, and suddenly felt something at her chin lifting her face up. She opened her eyes, finding his gray ones staring down at her. She was surprised to find additional flecks of dark blue in them.

"Listen to me. Will you promise me something?" he began, his voice soft. "The next time you decide to be self destructive like this, come find me. When those stupid voices start telling you those things, _come find me_. I don't care where I am, or what I'm doing, I'd drop everything to make sure you're all right." He dropped his hand from her chin and instead took her hand, squeezing. "You got that?"

Sloan nodded, trying to keep the tears at bay. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why would Leo do that for her? Even as she thought about all the reasons he shouldn't, she seemed to feel a strange power flowing from his hand into hers, grounding her, helping her combat the voices in her head. She squeezed his hand back.

"I got it," she told him.

He smiled. "Good. Now, come on. There's something I wanna give you."

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><p><strong>If you were to go to my profile, and look at my avatar picture...you would see this violin...'tis mine ^-^. Was it really used in the civil war? No...but it <em>does<em> date back to pre-WWII Germany. The face _is_ hand carved and a different color than the sides, and there are scratches all over it. I found it in an antique shop in my hometown...but a friend did not give it to me for free -.- it actually cost me a pretty penny. but, it was soooo worth it! it sounds amazering! :D **

**See what I meant about it getting better? Stay posted! Tell your friends! Reviews welcome! Kaythanksbai!**


	15. Adagio

**Hello all :) Here it is, chapter 15! I'm so so so SO thankful for all the reviews and good thoughts towards this story, you guys. I noticed a lot of you saying stuff like "bad Sloan!" or "No! Don't do it!" ...I just wanted to tell you guys that when a person is that deep into depression, their rational mind tends not to work that well. The attempted cutting wasn't a plea for attention, as some would think. I should know..I've been in her shoes before. It is a last stitch effort to try and actually FEEL something that isn't indifference for once. Can you guys keep a secret? *whispers* FanFiction saved me. I feel like since I started writing again, I have a good reason to keep getting up every day and going about my life. Hehe, I'm telling you guys more than I've told my closest friends (with the exception of my bf, of course). You should feel priviledged ^-^. Just kidding, I'm done ranting. On to the story!**

**It's a little shorter than normal, but that's just because my caffeine high is wearing off, and I needs mah sleep...or more caffeine so I can FINALLY beat Kingdom Hearts 2 so my best friend will give me Birth By Sleep -.- okay, nerd moment over. I own nothing but the plot and my OC's. Enjoy! :D**

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><p>"Okay," Sloan started slowly. "Just <em>why<em> are you all looking at me like that?"

Don smiled. "Well...we've noticed the last few days that you haven't really been acting like yourself."

"So, we decided to get you something that we thought might help," Mikey went on.

"Emily was the one that gave us the idea," Raph said, looking down at the little girl beside him. He ruffled her hair, and grinned at her aggravated expression.

"And..." Leo bent down and pulled a case out from under Donatello's workbench. "Here it is."

"Ta da!" Mikey said as the eldest turtle opened the case.

Sloan froze, unable to tear her eyes away from the violin. She barely breathed, didn't blink. She couldn't believe it.

Emily stood up on her tiptoes and looked at the violin, scaring the turtles slightly when she squealed in excitement.

"Sloan!" she exclaimed. She ran to her big sister and grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to the violin. "They brought Ada back!"

"'Ada'?" Mikey asked.

"It's short for Adagio." It seemed that Sloan finally remembered to breathe. She inhaled shakily and allowed Emily to tug her right up to the bench. Her finger's shook as she reached out and touched the smooth surface of the face.

It was too much. She covered her mouth to trap the sob that wanted to escape and turned away. She didn't want them to see the tears of joy falling down her cheeks.

"Sloan?" she heard Don's voice begin. "Are...are you okay? We thought you would like it?"

She wiped her tears away and quickly regained control, turning around to face them again. "Donnie, you don't understand. I..." She touched the violin again, lifting it out of the safety of the blue velvet. "I thought I'd never see this again."

"Ya mean...this was _yours_?" Raph asked. "I thought April said a guy brought it in?"

"A cop," Leo told him. "He said it was evidence in a murder investigation. But," he paused, gesturing to the tuning pegs. "These were so corroded with rust that they had to be replaced. I don't see how a month's time could do that to a violin, if it came from Sloan's house."

"We...we had to sell it," Sloan explained. She seemed lost in another time, another world, as she recounted her tale. "After we moved here, two years ago, we got complaints from our neighbors whenever I'd play. I was too loud, they said. So, my dad sold it, even though I begged and pleaded with him not to." She hugged the violin to her and laughed slightly. "It paid for two months' rent on our apartment."

"So...how did it end up in a murder investigation that wasn't tied to your mother's?" Don asked, then added, "If I might ask?"

Sloan shrugged. "I hate to say it, but stuff like that happens in New York all the time. All I care about is that I have it back now."

"And yer sure it's this...Ada?"

Sloan nodded. "I'd know this violin anywhere. It's not like it's hard to duplicate." She plucked its strings and grinned widely. "It's in perfect tune!"

"Well, then, play us something!" Mikey said, pulling the bow out and handing it to her. Sloan laughed again.

"Are you _kidding _me?" she exclaimed to no one in particular. "This is _my _bow, too! There should be a little nick in the bottom where I dropped it." She showed the spot to the brothers. "See?"

"I guess we did good then, huh?" Don elbowed Leo and grinned. Leo nodded, looking at Sloan.

"Go ahead," he encouraged and nodded to the violin.

She smiled sheepishly. "I don't know how good I'll be. I haven't played in years." She rested the bow against her neck and bit her lip and set the bow on the strings. She took a deep breath and pulled it down, almost shuddering at the beautiful sound it made.

It was all coming back to her. All the songs, all the performances she'd done in the past. The memories came flooding back to her, and she smiled broadly as she experimented with the notes. She played a few scales, letting the bow sail across the strings and finding its own way. It was muscle memory, she knew. All she had to do was remember the tunes. She paused, trying to remember one of her old go-to songs.

"Well, that was nice," Mikey said. "But, it wasn't really a song."

Sloan raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Oh, you want a _song_, huh?" she asked. Mikey nodded and leaned over the workbench, resting his chin in his hands. He gave her the puppy-dog eyes.

"_Pleeeeeeease_?"

Sloan grinned. "All right then." So she played.

She played and she played, running her bow and her fingers all over the bridge. It was an old song she'd learned a while back, called "Calgary Polka." She could feel herself speeding up, and gave herself over to the Irish tune she was playing. She often played two strings at once, and used all four fingers of her left hand. She could smell the rosin coming off the bow, see it puffing into the air. Dimly, she felt another presence enter the room, and out of the corner of her eye glimpsed Master Splinter standing at the doorway to the lab. She finished with a long note played on the top two strings and dropped her bow, looking at the brothers.

Their jaws were dropped and their eyes were wide behind their masks. Sloan laughed as Emily clapped and cheered. The little girl ran forward to hug her sister.

"I missed Ada, Sloan," she said.

"I know, I missed her too."

Leo was the first to find his voice, shaking his head slightly. "Wow, Sloan, that was..."

"I know, probably not what you were expecting, right?" Sloan laughed again. "With a name like Adagio, I'm guessing you thought I played classical music?"

"No, what I meant was it was _amazing_!" he told her. "It takes real talent to play like that!"

"Seriously!" Mikey added. "You're crazy good."

"Thanks," she said. She pulled the violin away from her chin and looked at it again. "What do you think, Master Splinter?"

Splinter tapped his way further into the room. "My dear," he began. "What I would like to know is _why_ you never told us about this before?"

"It never came up in conversation," she answered. "But – and you guys'll probably have to forgive me for this – now that I have it back, I'm going to be playing a lot more."

"We would not wish it any other way," Splinter told her, smiling.

...

It was late, and the excitement of the evening had died down somewhat. Mikey had challenged Raph to MarioKart, and the two were currently sitting on the couch and quietly insulting each other as they played. Sloan had taken Emily to get a bath and get to bed, and Don had finally started on the work he'd been commissioned to do. Splinter had retired to his room for the night, saying his ears were tired from hearing all of Sloan's beautiful music. Leo stood in the kitchen, brewing his nightly cup of tea, and mulled over the night's events.

After that first song, Sloan had graced them with what she called her "mental songbook." Every song she'd played had been from memory, and they'd mostly been a lot of Irish songs. She'd once played in a Celtic jam band, she had explained, and they had met once a week to simply play songs together. They'd called themselves "The Session." Sloan had given them examples of all kinds of songs – jigs, reels, slip jigs, airs, treble jigs, and hornpipes – and had explained all the different componants of each. Even Emily was able to contribute to it all, offering her own interperetations of the music.

Leo jumped as he felt a hand lightly hit him on the shoulder. He turned to find Sloan standing at the open refrigerator door.

"So, who's bright idea was it to get my violin back?" she asked him playfully. She pulled out a bottle of water and sat down at the table.

"Well," Leo began, grabbing the whistling tea kettle off the stove and pouring the hot water into his mug. "Like we said before, Emily came up with it."

"Mhm, but..." Sloan pointed a finger at him. "She didn't know where to find one, now did she?" The red-head smiled. "And I'm guessing you found this in an antique shop. Say...one owned by April O'Neil?"

Leo chuckled. "Yeah, we found it. Donnie was the one that pointed it out. Mike and I went to get it earlier today." He took a sip of his tea as Sloan drank her water. "I'm glad you like it."

"Leo..."

He raised an eye ridge at her and set the mug down. She was playing with the cap of the water bottle, her eyes trained stoically on the table.

"Sloan..." he mimicked, earning him a smile from her. She finally raised her eyes, searching his.

"...why?" she asked. "I mean...why do you keep helping me like this? You've got to know I...I'm not worth your time. I –"

"Stop." Leo reached out and took her hand in his. "I really wish you'd realize that you _are_ worth it. I..." he hesitated, wondering if he really should voice his next words. He took a deep breath, making his decision. "...I honestly don't know what we would do without you. We're too emotionally invested in you..._all_ of us are. You and your sister have become a part of this family. And nothing can change that. If...if you left, I...I'd – "

She reached out and touched his forearm gently. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere." She smiled. "Not anytime soon."

Her smile...her eyes...the feel of her hand in his...every single aspect about her made Leo's heart suddenly race. She was too close, and not close enough. She filled his every sense, filled him up to the brim. He didn't know what had caused it, but something in his mind – no, his heart – no, his deepest _soul_ – had clicked. This girl sitting in front of him, looking at him with eyes so blue he could almost drown in them, was the key to his very _existence_, it seemed. Her lips parted, and she kept searching his face.

"Leo?" she asked. "You okay, Fearless?"

He didn't know anymore. Which way was up? Down? Where was he? _Who_ was he? He felt unmade before her, felt her seeing down to his core, like she could reach into him and touch his hidden secrets. He heard her laugh slightly, and he was reminded of that night where he interrupted her shower. This was a lot like what he felt then, only now he thought he knew what he was experiencing.

He loved her.

He suddenly caught the hand she was currently waving in front of his eyes, startling her slightly.

"Dude, don't scare me like that," she told him. "You went all 'crazy' on me."

"S-sorry," he managed. "I...you wanna go somewhere?"

She stared at him for a long moment. "'Scuse me?"

"D'you...Do you want to go somewhere?" he asked again, feeling his heart hammering against his ribcage. "Y'know, get out of here. With me."

Sloan pulled her hands away, reaching for her water bottle again. She took another sip, then screwed the cap back on decisively.

She nodded.

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><p><strong>If you want to hear a really cool version of the "Calgary Polka", you can find it on youtube by igyurri, and its called "Amazing Irish violin player"...btw, the girl in it is AMAZING, and is only 13! (I wish I could play like her -.-) All credits go to the girl in the video and the owner. Reviews are welcome, guys! :D <strong>


	16. Outside

**Aren't you guys lucky - I updated twice in one night :) I was going to stop, but I had this running around in my head and I had to write it down before I lost it. I'm gonna let this chapter speak for itself. I only own my OC's and the plotline. Enjoy, all ;)**

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><p><em>"Don't say a word, just come over and lie here with me, cause I'm just about to set fire to everything I see.<br>__I want you so bad I'll go back on the things I believe. There I just said it, I'm scared you'll forget about me."  
><em>-"Edge of Desire" by John Mayer

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><p>Donatello had been working furiously all night. He was almost done hacking the system he'd been assigned to hack. He rubbed his eyes and reached for his coffee mug. He went to take a sip before he realized it was empty. Frowning, he got up and opened the Lab door...<p>

...only to narrowly miss hitting Sloan as she walked past.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed. "Easy, there, Don. Ya just about creamed me."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I guess my mind's still on my work."

"Its okay. Hey, I guess I should thank you for returning my violin to me, huh?" She elbowed him.

"Aw, it's nothing. Don't worry about it." He smiled at her, then noticed Leo standing behind her for the first time, dressed in his trench coat.

"Going back out?" Don asked.

Leo nodded. "I told Sloan I'd show her Central Park at night," he said.

"Yeah, he told me there are these lights that are all strung up in the trees, and its nice and quiet at night, and there's a pond where you can run around and catch lightning bugs." Sloan kept talking, but Don had stopped listening. His attention was instead on the fact that his oldest brother seemed to be unable to look away from Sloan. Something was off, Donatello thought, and he wasn't so sure that it was a good thing.

Then it hit him: Leo was taking Sloan up to a romantic spot on the surface. At night. Alone.

He'd asked her out on a _date_. And she'd said _yes_!

It felt like he'd been punched in the gut, then had his inner organs twisted around and around until they were all one great, ugly mess. Suddenly, he was no longer interested in coffee.

"Oh," Don said, inadverdently cutting Leo off. "Well, you guys have fun. I've gotta finish this...um, this work." He moved past them, still aiming for the kitchen. Not for his liquid gold anymore, just to make them think nothing was wrong. He couldn't get to the solitude of the room fast enough, but he kept his gait calm.

Leonardo had made the first move. He'd seen an opening, and he'd taken it. Well, score one for him.

_I should've known Sloan would go for his type_, Don thought. _After all, he was the one who's spent the most time with her. _He sighed heavily, setting his mug down in the sink. He waited until he heard the door close behind Leo and Sloan, then made his way slowly back to his Lab.

...

A nine-year-old Leo had once asked his Master what love was. Not the father-son or brotherly love that he was so used to, but _real_ love. His Master, not knowing any other way to describe it, recounted the story of his beloved Master Yoshi and the woman he had loved, Tang Shen. Splinter had told his eldest son that it had taken a long time for Tang Shen to realize she loved Yoshi, as did Yoshi take his time courting her.

Seven years later, Leo had asked Casey what it had felt like when he realized he loved April. The burly man had proceeded to tell him it was like being hit by lightning.

"One minute I'm callin' 'er stuff like 'tootz' and 'babe', the next it was like...'Whoa...this girl is _amazin'_!' Y'know?"

Leo hadn't, of course, he'd never felt that way about anyone. The closest he'd ever come was Karai, who he'd admired upon meeting her the first time. It mainly had to do with the way she fought and commanded those that followed her. Leo's admiration quickly dwindled away as he'd realized that Karai Saki was not as honourable as he'd originally thought.

Even though he'd always believed he would be alone in life, he always hoped that he would be more like Master Yoshi. He would take his time, make sure that his imagined love interest felt the same way about him before formally courting her. Now, however, standing in Central Park with Sloan on his arm, he was more inclined to follow the Casey Jones method of love. He wanted her to feel the same way. He wanted it so badly, he would do almost anything.

He watched her as they strolled, his eyes hidden safely beneath the brim of his hat. Her skin seemed paler under the strung-up lights in the trees, her hair darker. Despite the freckles, her skin almost glowed in the softness of the light. They were the only ones on the path...which didn't surprise Leo. It was almost two in the morning anyway.

"Donnie seemed kinda out of it tonight, didn't he?" Sloan asked after a while, looking up at him. "What do you think was bothering him?"

"I dunno," he answered. "He sometimes tends to get wrapped up in his work. So much so that its all he can think about until he's finished it."

Sloan nodded. "I used to get that way when I was trying to learn a new piece of music, or a strange dance step." She looked back down at the stone path on which they were currently walking. "I wouldn't stop until it was perfect."

Leo was suddenly tired of talking about his genius brother. "Okay, so you play violin, sing, play sports, _and_ dance?"

Sloan laughed, making Leo's heart skip a few beats. "My singing is strictly recreational, and I haven't played basketball since coming to New York."

Leo watched her face, trying to catch her eye. When she didn't look up, he went on. "Can you show me a few dance steps?"

"I don't have the right shoes."

"Why does it matter?"

"It just does." She finally found his eyes and smiled coyly. Before he could stop her, she grabbed his hat and put it on her own head.

"Hey!" he exclaimed as she ran ahead of him a few steps. "Give that back!"

"No, it's mine now," she giggled, turning around to face him. She still held onto the edges of the hat. He took another step closer, but she moved two steps further away. He caught the playful gleam in her eyes, and he stopped.

"Don't you dare..."

She was off like a shot, running across the paths and woods and fields, dangling his hat behind her trying to entice him to chase after her. Which he did.

"Come back here!"

"Not a chance, Fearless!"

"Give me my hat!"

"No, you gotta dance for it!" Her laughter carried through the warm night air, reaching his ears. He put on more speed, finally catching up to her near the pond. A whitewashed gazebo looked over the water, sitting slightly above everything. Wildflowers that someone had planted long ago sprouted up from the grass. The lights strung around the gazebo made the fresh dew glisten on the leaves. Sloan jumped around the edge of the pond, gracefully leaping from rock to rock as only a dancer (or ninja) could do. She stopped on a larger rock and turned to face Leo, holding the hat up. He stopped two rocks away, glaring playfully at her.

"Not a step closer," she laughed, holding the hat out over the water. "Or I'll drop it."

"You wouldn't dare," Leo challenged.

"Mm...nope!" She set the hat back on her head and made to leap to the shore. "I think I'll just keep it instead." She jumped.

Unfortunately, the dew that made all the grass beautiful also made it slippery. Sloan lost her footing and suddenly fell backwards into the water, Leo's hat flying off her head.

"Sloan!" Leo yelled, jumping into the knee-length water. She got up, completely soaked to the bone, laughing and coughing up pond water.

"Sorry, Leo, I think your hat got wet," She said as he reached her. She held up his hat and turned it over. Water poured out of it and landed back in the pond. Leo couldn't help it – he laughed with her. He grabbed the hat and put it back on his head, causing it to make a comical _slap_ as it hit his head.

"What do you think?" he asked as the brim of the hat drooped around his face. He set his fists on his waist and tried to strike a heroic pose.

"It suits you," Sloan joked, pushing him slightly. She moved to get out of the pond, wading back to the bank. Leo nudged her back as she tried to step onto land, playfully moving her behind him. When he tried to get out, Sloan pulled back on his arm and stepped around him. Laughing still, Leo grabbed her around the waist and picked her up and moved her away from the bank, making her squeal slightly and laugh. Finally, after much jostling and pushing, he set her down on the bank and climbed out himself.

"Well, this sucks," Sloan murmured with a grin. "I wasn't p-planning on g-g-getting wet." Despite the warm April night, the water was still cold, and the breeze only helped to make it colder. Sloan shivered, hugging herself and trying to rub warmth back into her arms. Leo shrugged out of his coat and threw it around her shoulders.

"Here," he said. He smoothed it down around her shoulders as her hands gripped the lapels, holding it closed. "Sorry it's a little big."

"Its okay." She was still shivering, and his hands were still on her arms. He began to rub them, from shoulder to elbow, to help her. She sniffed and rubbed the excess water off her nose with the fabric of his coat.

"I'm sorry I was being stupid and fell in," she said softly. "T-thank you."

"Don't be silly," he told her, moving his hands around to rub her back. "It was an accident. And it's the least I can do to keep you warm."

"No, I mean..." She stopped him with a hand on his plastron. "Thank you, for everything."

His eyes found hers in the dim light of the gazebo, and for the first time he really noticed how close she was. Her hand was still on his chest, her fingers suddenly moving up to his left shoulder and tracing the outline of a scar.

"What happened here?"

_Karai, fighting. Leo, defending his family. Saving the world. A flash of light. White hot pain. His katana falling to the ground. _

"I got stabbed," he told her, realizing that he didn't want to hide anything from her anymore. "By someone I thought I trusted."

"Hm," she answered, then moved her hand over his shoulder to touch the broken piece of his shell. The movement brought her body closer to his. "Was that the same injury?"

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak at the present moment. He stood stock still as her hand went to another, more shallow scar on his plastron, above his stomach.

"And here?" she asked. "What about this one?"

_Fighting for his very life. Trying his hardest to beat the alien using the enhanced body to fight. Dodging, not good enough. Claws scrape against him, scratching. Not pain, exactly, but not pleasant either._

"Another fight, with the Shredder. Before the shoulder." His voice sounded gruff to his ears, but Sloan didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were on his face, her blue eyes that were reflecting the crescent moon high above. She touched a needle-thin scar on his cheek, drawing one finger down it slowly. Leo closed his already half-lidded eyes, enjoying the trailing fire her hand left on his skin.

"Here?" she whispered.

_First home. First weapons practice. Raph's sai getting through his defenses, barely slicing into his skin. Not deep enough to be serious, but enough to need stiches._

"Years old," he said. "I was seven."

She was so close to him now. Searching his face, studying every single inch of it. Leo suddenly caught her eyes and held them. She didn't look away as she traced the scar again. She moved her fingers up and down and across, all over his skin, until she finally stopped at his mask. He felt her fingers tremble slightly as she lifted the blue material off his face.

His arms, where they had been resting on her shoulders, suddenly moved around to her back. He spread his fingers, knowing he was around the area where the whip scars were. Her lips parted slightly, and he moved one hand to push strands of wet hair out of her face. He drew his finger down her cheek, just like she had to him, and watched her reaction. Her eyelids fluttered, but didn't close. She stepped closer, effectively closing the sparse distance between their bodies.

Surely she had to know what she was doing to him. Yes, he was a giant turtle, but he was undoubtedly _male_, and had just enough human DNA to allow for the hormones most humans his age had. She _had_ to know that...had to _feel_ that.

"Sloan, I – "

She stopped him with a hand on his lips, the same hand that still held his mask. He took her hand in his, held it between them. He felt her heart beating hard against his plastron, somehow seeming very forceful even under the thick layer of the coat.

"Is this real?" she asked, whispering.

"Yes," he whispered back. "You're real. I'm real. These _feelings_ are real."

"Is...it silly to say that I feel..." She trailed off.

"Feel...what?"

"That...I'm where I'm supposed to be?"

Leo shook his head. "I feel the same way."

He didn't know how it had happened, but suddenly her forehead was against his, her nose rubbed his. He felt her breath on his lips, and he leaned in and pressed his to them. He held her closer as she kissed him back. He dropped her hand and wrapped both arms around her as he deepened the kiss. He felt her hands on his face, stroking his cheeks and his neck, urging him to keep going. His heart hammered away against hers, and they seemed to match in rhythms. He had never before felt something so undeniable, so utterly _right_, he was almost overcome with his happiness. But, another emotion was taking hold of him now. A more _primal_ emotion, geared towards the fact that he finally had what he wanted, and that she wanted him in return. .

Desire.

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><p><strong>See? ^-^ Reviews are welcome guys!<strong>


	17. Warning

**Chaptaaaah 17! I had to deal with writer's block for a couple days...so I took like three showers today and finally came up with something! (I get all my best ideas in the shower - I'm like Spencer on iCarly! XD) Anywho, thank you to all my faithful reviewers, you guys are amaaazing! 3 ya! I own nothing but my OC's and the plotline. Okay, on with da show!**

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><p><em>"You're an angel, and I'm gonna cry. 'Cause I can't have you, and I'm not gonna try."<em>  
><em>~You're An Angel, And I'm Gonna Cry by Chris Thile<em>

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><p>Somewhere deep in Sloan's mind, something screamed at her to stop. But the small voice was drowned out by her need for <em>more<em>. More of his kiss, more of his hot breath on hers, more of _Leo_. She'd had no idea that this sort of passion was hiding away in her blue-masked friend. Or...more than friend. She assumed that Leo's feelings had long since passed "friendly."

She suddenly felt his hands sliding down her back, which brought her back to the present. Finally, she placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed herself away from him, just enough so that her mouth broke away from his. He looked down at her with confused gray eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, breathing hard.

Sloan looked up at him, slightly embarrassed of what she'd had to do. "Sorry," she told him. "We...we need to get back."

His hands dropped from around her, even as she kept her hands on his chest. "Was the kiss _that_ bad?" he asked.

She laughed. "No, not at all." She blushed at the memory of the whole thing. "I found it _very_ enjoyable."

"We don't have to stop," he whispered, leaning back into her. Sloan laughed softly and placed her hand on his mouth again.

"Yes, we do," she said. "It's late...or _early_, and we both need sleep.

He seemed crestfallen, but quickly perked up. "We can continue this later."

Sloan smiled as he took her hand in his, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. "Of course."

Leo smiled back at her as he led her back towards the castle entrance to their home.

...

The Shredder watched the turtle and the girl walking down the path, disgusted by the fact that he'd just witnessed their embrace. The girl was to be his, not Leonardo's. Only Saki knew what the girl was capable of, could make her realize her true potential.

He couldn't stand the loss of this girl. The little one, he didn't mind so much. His plans for her hadn't gone past using her as leverage to make the older girl cooperate. But this girl – this _Sloan –_ losing her just rubbed him the wrong way.

Saki watched as Leonardo stopped the girl and surveyed the open space in front of the castle. If there was ever a time to strike, it was now. Shredder was just about to give the order to attack, when an idea struck him. He cast a sidelong look at his second-in-command.

"Hun," he said, his voice icy. "Why don't _you_ lead the attack." It was perfect. He would leave some of his ninja with the great brute and have them report back to him. If Hun deviated from the plan at all, he would know. If the giant man wasn't loyal to the Shredder and the Foot Clan anymore, Shredder would dispose of him. He turned to Hun, trying to gauge his reaction.

Hun looked at his master, surprised. "Uh...sure, Masta Shredder, but...where will you be?"

Shredder stood back and took his helmet off. "I have some..._business_ to conduct upstate." As he turned away, he gestured to one of his higher-ranking ninja.

"Make sure he follows orders," he told him. "Report back upon my return."

...

Hun knew what his master was doing. It was a test, to see whether or not he was still useful. If he wasn't...well, Hun didn't relish the thought of what would happen. But, as he looked at Sloan, saw her smile, he realized that she seemed genuinely happy. She'd found a home with those turtles, both her and her sister. And, judging by the way the blue-masked one looked at her, Hun thought Sloan would be well taken care of. If Hun were to die for disobeying his master, at least he could do so knowing that his promise to Sloan's father had been partially fulfilled.

The Shredder had long since disappeared, but Hun knew that the ninja would report back if he made a mistake. He knew he had to make what he was about to do believable. He put on an angry face.

"Stand down," he ordered. When the ninja turned questioning looks to him, he continued. "I'm owed a little payback for the girl's escape. I'll do this on my own."

He made his way out of their hiding place in the bushes and trees, mildly surprised when neither girl nor turtle turned around at his presence. He grabbed Leo's shell, effectively startling them. He spun the turtle around and lifted him by his arms, bringing him close. Before Leo could get a word out, Hun cut him off.

"Listen up, freak, and listen good," he began. "Shredder's after that girl, so ya need to get her and her sister outta da city. Got it?"

Leo only glared at him. "Why should we trust you? You work for our enemy!"

"But I promised dat girl's father that I'd look after her, okay?" Hun threw him down to the ground and slipped into a fighting stance. "And dat trumps anything Shredder says. Now, make this fight look real, or else I'm in big trouble."

Sloan had moved to help Leo up, and she was now looking at Hun with a mixture of hatred and confusion. Her hand on Leo's shoulder was the only thing that kept the turtle at her side.

"Hold up," she said. "I...I think he's telling the truth."

Hun narrowed his eyes and gave them the tiniest of nods. "Look, Shredder's left the city, headed upstate for somethin'." He blocked a kick from Leonardo that he knew wasn't close to Leo's full strength. "Ya can't go there, either. Get outta the state, go somewhere far away." He swung at Leo's head, and the turtle ducked.

"Just so you know," Leo said between hits. "This changes nothing."

"Fine. Now, knock me out."

Hun glimpsed the slight smile on the turtle's face, just before his foot collided hard with Hun's jawbone.

And everything went black.

...

Donatello knocked on his Master's door, knowing that the rat was no where near asleep. It was after four, the normal time Splinter awoke to meditate in peace before the day began.

"Enter," the familiar voice said.

Don walked inside and kneeled before his father. Splinter's eyes were closed, his walking stick laying across his knees. When Don didn't say anything for a while, Splinter opened his eyes.

"What troubles you, Donatello?"

Donnie sighed, knowing that it was no use to keep anything from his master. "I...I'm sorry, Master. I..." He trailed off, not sure of how to begin. Splinter just waited patiently for his second-youngest son to go on. Finally, Donnie could keep it in no longer.

"Why did she choose him, Master?" he suddenly said. "I-I don't understand. I did everything I could for her, I thought we were getting along great! What did _he_ do that I didn't? _I _was the one that remembered the violin in April's shop. _I_ was the one who sacrificed my work to research ways to help her get over her nightmares. And _he_ get's all the thanks for it!" Don sniffed, ashamed of the tears that were suddenly present in his hazel eyes. "He doesn't know her like I do. Master, he...he doesn't...he can't – "

"_Ochitsuku_, Donatello," Splinter stopped him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He sighed. "Did you know that Leonardo has been staying in Sloan's room at night? To be there in case the nightmares plague her."

Donnie looked up at his Master, surprised. He shook his head, suddenly wondering just what else Splinter knew.

"He found out what Sloan's nightmare actually _was_, and was there to comfort her for it. He volunteered to stay with her, so that if she woke up again he could be there. He has stopped her from hurting herself when she was unhappy. He has been with her during her most trying times, and has seen to it that she came out on top, as a better person."

Don dropped his eyes to the padded floor. _How_ could he have been so blind? While he had been so immersed in the science of figuring out what was wrong so he could help her, Leo was actually _doing_ something about it. He'd been there, that was why Sloan had latched onto him. She'd probably told him much more than Don.

_Well_, Don thought. _That's it, then. There's nothing you can do, Donnie old boy. Just try to be her friend now._

He'd told himself the same thing when April had started dating Casey. It had worked then, but...Don wasn't so sure about it now.

"Master, I –"

"Master Splinter!" a voice suddenly interrupted him. His oldest brother came barreling into Splinter's room, a wet-looking Sloan in tow.

Splinter looked from Leo to Sloan, brows furrowing. "What happened?"

"I fell in the pond," Sloan said in a small voice, her cheeks slightly pink. "But, that's not important."

"We need to leave," Leo said. "_Now_."

Donatello stood, all thoughts of his lost romance pushed out of his head. "What?Why?"

"You're not going to believe this..." Leo began.

...

"So, he said we couldn't go to the farmhouse, either?" April asked an hour later. Don had called her and explained to her about what had happened. Despite the early hour, she and Casey had packed up their essentials and headed down to the Lair.

Leo nodded. "Hun knows about it, told us that the Shredder had gone upstate."

"Where does that leave us?" Raph asked, coming down the stairs with his sparse belongings. He came to stand beside Mikey, who had Klunk's carrier in one hand and was holding a sleeping Emily with the other.

Leo looked around at his small family, waiting for his answer, seeing the fear and desperation in their eyes. He came to rest on Sloan's, who's eyes also showed hope and belief in him.

"I...I don't really know." He dropped his gaze and sighed. "We're stuck."

Everyone was silent...until –

"No, we're not," Sloan began slowly. "I think I have a place we could go. As long as everyone was willing to go that far."

"How far _is _dis place?" Casey asked.

Sloan bit her lip. "North Carolina."

...

They'd packed up the Suburban that Casey had purchased – he'd had to sell his old car for something a little more practical. Now, they were just waiting for him, Splinter, Leo, and Don to finish the final sweep of the Lair. Donnie had packed up his entire computer system with all his work and research. Raphael guessed it was a good thing – that way if the Shredder found their Lair, they wouldn't find anything important there. There was enough room for them all, even if it was a bit cramped. Mikey and Emily were curled up in the back seat, Emily currently asleep on his lap, and Raph knew Don and Splinter would be back there as well. Raph, Leo and Sloan were to sit in the middle seat, with Casey and April driving the way.

Raph checked his watch – five AM. Raph's knee began to jump up and down nervously. He was ready to get on the road. If they had to go somewhere new, he was anxious to get there as fast as he could.

His mind, as it did almost all the time, went back to the last time he physically saw Hannah. She'd promised him that she'd come to visit for the summer. He'd never told her the location of the Lair, but he always thought that maybe – just maybe – she'd be able to find in on her own. Or with the help of her godly grandparents. I mean, they'd found her at the Battle Nexus, right? Why shouldn't she find them in "Podunk Town, North Carolina."

That wasn't the name of the place, not at all. But, judging from the way Sloan had described it, it wasn't any better. She'd said the house was in a place called Valle Crucis, and it had belonged to her maternal grandparents. They'd left the house to her in her will, but she couldn't claim it until she was eighteen. That wasn't stopping her, she had an entire plan. She'd call the caretaker and obtain the key, saying that her parents had sent her to get it because they were busy doing renovations and unpacking their things for the summer.

Something jerked Raphael out of his thoughts and he noticed Sloan's knee bouncing across the seat from him, matching in rhythm to his knee. They caught each other's eye, both smiling as they reached out and stopped the other's knee from bouncing. Sloan laughed, and Raph couldn't help but chuckle a little bit as well. Then he stopped as he saw Casey and the missing members of his family emerge from the warehouse where they kept the vehicles.

"All clear," Don said, climbing into the back seat. Splinter was close behind him. Leo jumped in, closing the door after he'd settled in next to Sloan. Raph could have imagined it, but he thought he saw Leo's hand go for Sloan's once Casey slipped into the driver's seat.

"We all ready?" Casey asked, cranking the engine.

It wasn't the best of circumstances to go on vacation, Raphael thought. But, when was it ever for them? He nodded with the rest of his family and closed his eyes as they pulled out of the warehouse. It was going to be a long drive.

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><p><strong><em>Ochitsuku<em>=Calm down (Japanese)  
><strong>

**I realized a while ago that I hadn't had any "Raph" perspective since "Insight", so...yeah. And the lyrics at the beginning just made me think of Donnie in this chapter..poor guy :( anyway, I hope you guys are liking this so far! Reviews are always welcome! **


	18. Road Trip

**Yo, I got chapter 18 up! :D Okay, so if you guys were wondering, the place they're going is pronounced like "Valley" Crucis (Croo-sis). Also, just for those that are curious, here's how I chose the names of my OC's: **

**Hannah Grace is my name. Hannah means "full of grace" and is Hebrew, so its redundant to have a middle name of "Grace". But, that's what my momma named me. Emily is my sister's name, so I felt that I had to put her in here. (although, in real life she's thirteen and TALLER than me -.-) Her name is Latin, and it means "Rival". Sloan is technically a boy's name, according to certain websites (the female is Sloane, but I liked the meaning of the male form better). It is Irish Gaelic and means "little warrior" (the female means "strong protector"). The surname "Millar" is one I just came up with ^-^. So, now that the lesson is over with, on with better things!**

**I own nothing but my OC's and the plotline! I don't have any lyrics posted for this one, but the song I had in my head while I was writing this was "Something like Olivia" by John Mayer. It just seemed like a good road trip song. Anywho, enjoy!**

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><p>Those first three hours passed as if in a dream, Leo thought. Mainly because most everyone was either fast asleep or dozing. Mikey was snoring in the backseat, Emily still tucked in beside him. Splinter's eyes were closed, but Leo had a feeling his Master wasn't sleeping. Donatello was reading one of his technology books. He looked up, perhaps sensing his older brother's eyes on him, and raised his eye ridges as if to say "you need something?"<p>

Leo shook his head slightly and turned away, looking at Raphael on the other side of the seat. He was leaning against the window, his mouth open as he snored softly. Leo's eyes trailed down to where Sloan was laying on his shoulder. She wasn't asleep either, for she turned her head and looked up into his eyes. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand, getting more comfortable beside him. He moved his arm around her shoulders and turned slightly so that she was laying on his chest, playing with the tail-end of the braid she had put her hair in earlier.

He still couldn't believe that she actually felt the same way he did. He felt so lucky that he'd found someone to have this kind of relationship with. He'd actually envied Raph when he'd first brought Hannah to meet them, months ago at the Battle Nexus. Even though it had always seemed impossible that _anyone_ would look at the brothers in that way, Leo never dreamed that Raphael would be the first one that would find someone. He never thought that his hot-headed brother would have the sensitivity and tact to fall in love with a girl.

Granted, Hannah wasn't exactly like other girls...and it really didn't surprise him _that_ much that she'd chosen Raph out of all of them.

Now, Leo could understand how it had happened. He could see how Raph could fall for someone and feel so strongly about her that he'd do anything. Raph had wanted to keep Hannah safe during the tournament, and Leo wanted to make sure Sloan was protected from herself.

Leo closed his eyes and leaned his head back against his seat, enjoying the feel of Sloan in his arms.

...

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Mikey exclaimed two hours later. "Let's play a game!"

Everyone awake groaned, and Donnie's head fell back against the headrest as he put his book over his eyes. Emily had woken up as well, and was full of energy. Every time she saw something that interested her outside, she'd squeal and point and say "lookit that!"

"Okay, Em," Sloan said after the tenth time this had happened. "That's enough. Calm down." She lay her head back down on Leo's chest, sighing. Leo had long since fallen asleep, his head almost rolling off the back of his seat and onto his shoulder. Sloan grinned and gently moved his head to rest on top of hers. She didn't care who saw, what they assumed about them. She just wanted to get to sleep – she and Leo had gotten absolutely none of it the previous night.

She didn't know what that last night had made her and Leo...but she knew that she didn't want it to go away, whatever it was. Leo was her best friend, the only one who knew her deepest secrets. She felt that she could tell him absolutely anything, and he would never judge her for it. He would never think any less of her. Dimly, as her foggy mind started to drift, she wondered if this was what love felt like. She realized she didn't care – Leo was hers, and she was his.

She started as she felt a blanket being laid across her shoulders, and she cracked her eyes open just in time to see Raph pull back from her and look out the window. The blanket that had been covering his knees was now covering Sloan. She smiled slightly and turned her face back to Leo's plastron. She fell into blissful unawareness.

...

"Hey, April," Don called from the back seat. He tried to be quiet, seeing as Leo and Sloan were asleep in front of him. "How far are we?"

"We're almost through the little tip of West Virginia," she replied, consulting the map. Casey had taken over driving duties for the time being, seeing as April had driven them the last five hours. "I'd say were almost half-way there."

Donatello sighed and let his head fall against the window. It wasn't even noon yet, but Donnie still felt tired. He never could sleep on long car trips – he tended to wait until they got where they were going (normally the farm house) and proceeded to conk out for a few hours upon arrival. Even though he, like the couple sitting before him, hadn't slept at all the night before. But, it was his curse to be stuck riding for eleven hours and not be able to sleep at all. So he settled for watching the white lines pass on the road below.

That was, until Mikey suddenly reached behind Splinter and poked him in the head. He ignored this initially, but soon Mikey poked him again more insistantly.

"Do-_ooooooon_..."

"What?" Donnie hissed at his younger brother.

"I'm _bored._" Mikey pouted, Emily copying him. "Did you pack any cards?"

"No, find something else to do." Don turned his attention back to the outside world. They were currently passing through dark mountains covered with trees. He guesssed that because of the elevation, the trees didn't have very many leaves on them. Even in the beginning of May, there wasn't a lot of green in West Virginia. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raph wordlessly hand a deck of cards to Mikey.

"Okay, Emily," Mikey said softly. "You know how to play 'Go Fish', right?"

The little girl nodded. "We get four cards, right?" She held up five fingers. Don heard his brother laugh.

"Yes to the hands, small fry." He dealt the cards. "We get five."

Donatello sighed again. "Deal me in, too, Mike. I'll play."

"I will play, as well," Splinter suddenly said. "I can see I will get no more sleep on this trip."

He couldn't help himself – Donnie smiled. He caught Mikey's eye over the top of Emily's head.

"This way she'll learn numbers," Mike mouthed to him. Donatello nodded, slightly amazed at the fact that Michelangelo had had that idea. Once it was his turn, he looked at the little girl.

"Got any threes?"

...

April looked behind her at the small family and smiled. The fact that Leo had Sloan in his arms didn't surprise her one bit. Sloan had always seemed to be more drawn to Leo, and vice versa. She felt a little bad for Raph, having to sit there and witness their embrace. But, as she looked at him, she noticed that he didn't seem to be bothered by it. In fact, he looked like his mind was a million miles away. In the back seat, Don and Mikey were playing War, while Splinter and Emily looked on.

"Hey, Apes, check it out," Casey said, bringing her attention back to the front. "We're in Virginia!"

"Great!" April replied. "That means we're almost there."

The feeling was wonderful – they'd been cooped up in the van for the longest time. She could tell the long trip southwest was starting to wear on everybody...well, except for Sloan and Leo. They'd been asleep pretty much the entire time. April wasn't looking forward to waking Sloan as soon as they crossed into North Carolina, even though the girl had told April to do so.

April's gaze travelled to Donatello, who was so ingrossed in his game with Mikey that he failed to notice the red-head's eyes on him. He was putting on a brave front, April knew, but she was worried about him. She didn't know how long he could keep pretending that Sloan and Leo weren't bothering him. April had seen it almost right away that Don had feelings for Sloan. But he'd never done anything to let Sloan know that his feelings went past friendly concern. Leo had always been the one physically _there_ for her.

April sighed and turned back around to face the front windshield. Things in their little brotherhood were getting more complicated with each passing year.

...

It seemed like only a few moments after Sloan had finally falled asleep that Leo was lightly shaking her shoulder. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked up at him.

"Wake up," he said softly. "April says we're close to Valle Crucis."

Sloan turned to the older woman. "What happened to waking me up once we crossed into North Carolina?" She sat up and stretched, groaning slightly. Her neck was sore from staying in the same position against Leo's plastron the whole way.

"Sorry," April answered. "But I wanted to let you get as much sleep as possible. You looked tired when we first left."

"Okay, then," Sloan said, folding up Raph's blanket and setting it back on his knees. "Where are we, anyway?"

"I just passed a sign that said 'Sugar Grove'..." Casey spoke up from the driver's seat.

"That means we're about ten minutes out," Sloan said, yawning. She watched from her seat as familiar scenes passed by the windows. The barns, the open fields, the elementary school...

"Dude, this place is so...sparse," Mikey said from the backseat. Sloan turned around to talk to him.  
>"Well, Valle Crucis is basically more of a community than an actual <em>town<em>. I guess you could say it's an offshoot of Boone. Its pretty tiny, and _very _rural." She turned back around just in time to tell Casey to turn off the main road. He made the right turn onto the gravel road shrouded in green trees.

"How far up are we goin'?" he asked.

"All the way," Sloan replied. "This is the driveway." The turtles and April all looked at her with slightly wide eyes.

"Sloan," Donatello said slowly. "Exactly how big is this place?"

"Well," she began. "It used to be a bed and breakfast. Does that answer your question?"

She glimpsed Raphael about to say something, but he fell silent as they crossed the last little incline that led up to the house. In fact, everyone did. They were all too busy looking at the house.

It was huge, at least three stores, with chipping white paint covering it. It had numerous windows and a large wrap-around front porch, complete with dilapidated rocking chairs and porch swing. It was set into a hill, with woods rising up behind it. The grass around it was grown up, but the front lawn was at least an acre, maybe even an acre and a half. A wooden fence marked off a pasture to one side of the house, and currently there were about five horses that Sloan could see grazing in it. Her eyes went back to the house. Numerous trees and foilage hid it safely away from prying eyes and neighbors, but unfortunately it also hid the bad condition of the house. As Casey put the Suburban in park and cut the engine, Sloan sighed.

"Well," she said. "It looks like we've got some work to do."

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><p><strong>A wee bit slow, but hey *shrugs* it'll pick back up soon, I promise. Reviews welcome! :D<strong>


	19. Sammiches

**Hello all! Here it is - chapter 19 :) Sorry I haven't updated sooner, life got in the way -.- Buuut, I'm going on vacation next week so hopefully I can get a few more chapters written...even though I don't know if I'll have internet. Anyway, I'd like to thank all my reviewers, I write for you guys! :D I only own my OC's and the plotline. Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"And you see the things they never see, all you wanted I could be<br>__Now you know me, and I'm not afraid."  
><em>~"I'm Still Here" by John Rzeznik

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><p>After Sloan had let them in with the key the caretaker had stashed in an old flowerpot, she took them on a tour of the house. It was indeed three stories, with a basement and a hidden wine cellar underground. Raphael noticed that Emily stayed close to her sister's side the entire way, at one point even clamoring to be held. Before Sloan could even pick her up, Raph lifted the little girl up and onto his shoulders, holding on to her dangling feet. Emily wrapped her arms around the top of his head.<p>

"Aw, lookit that," Mikey said, grinning. "Raph's just a big 'ole softie."

Raphael made to smack his youngest brother in the head, but Emily leaned down and beat him to it.

"Mikey, don't make fun'a Raffel," the little girl said, trying to be heard over the laughter of the rest of the group. "It's not nice."

"No, it most certainly is not," Sloan said, finally calming down. "Now, if you don't mind, small fry, on with the tour!" She turned and pointed at a room far down the hallway, only succeeding in making everyone laugh again.

After the near-eleven hour drive, the whole group was surprised to be in high spirits. Raph noticed Splinter seemed to be more at ease, as did Donnie and Leo. Mikey could get along anywhere and with anyone. Casey had opted out of the tour at the beginning and immediately fell asleep on the couch, so Raphael _knew_ he was comfortable, while April seemed to be enchanted with the idea of being able to fix up a new place.

The inside of the house surprisingly wasn't as bad as Raph thought it would look. The furniture had all been covered to protect it from dust, but the whole place needed to be aired out and cleaned up. But the first thing to do was figure out where everyone would sleep that night. After the long ride, everyone wanted some shut-eye (_more_ in Leo and Sloan's case) so they spent the afternoon divvying up the rooms. Sloan made April and Casey take the Master suite. They agreed, so long as Sloan and Emily took the second-largest room. Splinter and Leo took the only other rooms on the second floor, leaving Raph, Mikey, and Don with the three smaller rooms on the third floor. The third floor had one bathroom for the rooms, while the second had three. Leo and Splinter shared a bathroom between them.

Once everyone was settled in, Raphael collapsed on his sparse matress and instantly fell into the darkness of sleep.

...

"Sloan," Emily murmured in the twilight of the room. "How long are we gonna stay here?"

"Until its safe," Sloan answered softly. She wrapped the blanket she'd pulled out of a closet tighter around her little sister. "Now get some rest, okay? We've got a lot to do tomorrow."

As the little girl settled down again, Sloan wondered if it would ever be truly safe for her in New York again. She knew that as long as the Shredder was after her, no where was truly safe for her. She couldn't help but feel responsible for causing the brothers to relocate too. It was her fault – Hun and the Shredder had been out looking for her. How else would they have found her and Leo like that?

This train of thought led to another, more pressing question. Why on earth would Hun, one of the very men who'd imprisoned her and allowed so many atrocities to happen to her, warn Sloan about the Shredder's plan? It made absolutely no sense. She could find no good reason for the hulking man to want to protect her.

Emily sighed in her sleep, from where she was laying in her sister's arms. Sloan envied the little girl's innocence. What she wouldn't give to be that small again, to have everyone hold her and tell her things would be all right. Biting her lip, Sloan gently moved away from her sister and moved to go downstairs.

The house was quiet, seeing as everyone was asleep. Sloan made her way into the kitchen, noticing a small note on the counter.

_Guys – went to the store with Casey to get food. Be back soon. ~April_

She knew the nearest store was a Wal-Mart about fifteen miles away, in Boone. Sloan didn't know what time they'd left, for it was nearly seven o'clock and the sun was starting to set. She quietly pulled a chair out from under the dining room table and sat down, laying her head directly on the polished wood.

She was restless, even though she was extremely tired. She just couldn't seem to turn her mind off. It kept going over and over the events of the night before. She replayed Hun's and Leo's discussion, trying to remember if Hun had dropped any hints about _why_ he had done it. Sloan realized he'd risked his position, and most likely his very _life_, by warning them.

Sloan hadn't realized she'd been dozing until she suddenly heard the front door open. She sat up quickly as April walked in carrying handfuls of plastic bags. Behind her, Casey carried the rest, his arms completely laden down with the white plastic. They set their haul down in the kitchen, April turning to Sloan as they did so.

"Hey," she said. "You not asleep with the others?"

Sloan shook her head. "My brain won't let me."

"Well, maybe you could help me with a late supper, hm?" the older woman said. "I was going to get Casey to help, but..." She turned around and held her arms out. "Apparently he has better things to do."

"Like sleep," the man answered, poking his head back inside the doorway. "If you need me, I'll be in the room."

Sloan grinned as he left, moving to help April put the groceries up. "What were you planning on fixing?"

"Oh, I figured I'd just make a platter of sandwiches and leave them in the fridge. That way, everyone can just come get them when they want them."

"My grandma used to do that," Sloan said, putting away three different boxes of pasta. "She'd make ham sandwiches and put them in a cooler whenever we'd have family get-togethers, and we'd eat those things like they were the last food on earth. They were so simple, but _so_ good."

April laughed. "I wish I could make good food like that."

"Well, I hate to break it to ya Apes," the younger red-head said. "But the best food comes from the South."

"Really?" April didn't sound like she believed her.

"Totally. All you do is add a stick of butter to everything and _voila_! Perfect Southern comfort food." Sloan gave her a mischievous smile. "Hey, d'you know how the pound cake got its' name?"

"Because," the woman started slowly. "You gain a pound every time you eat a piece?"

"Good guess, but no. They used to put a pound of butter in a single cake." Sloan laughed at April's horrified expression. "True story."

"Well, Paula Dean," April said, setting a package of turkey and a loaf of break in front of Sloan. "Help me out here. And no butter allowed."

...

Mikey heard the girls' laughter as he returned from the bathroom upstairs, and he descended the two flights and entered the kitchen. His eyes lit up at the pile of sandwiches on a plate in the middle of the counter.

"Hey Mike," Sloan laughed. "Have a sandwich."

"Don't mind if I do," he answered, biting hungrily into one. He chewed happily, singing to the tune of "Savages" from the old Disney movie _Pocahontas_. "They're sammiches, sammiches, barely even human..."

Giggling, Sloan picked up a sandwich of her own and leaned against the kitchen counter, facing the orange-banded turtle. "Mikey?"

"Hm?"

She stuffed her sandwich in his mouth. "Just eat the dang sandwich." She and April continued to laugh at his miffed expression. He swallowed and grinned at them.

"Just you wait," he began. "I'm cooking one night this week, and you guys are gonna swear you've never tasted anything better."

Sloan smiled and put a few sandwiches on a plate. "I'm looking forward to it," she said as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Hey, where are you going?" April asked her before she was out of earshot.

"I'm gonna take some sandwiches upstairs, see if anyone else wants one."

...

As it turned out, neither Raph nor Donnie were up to eating. When Sloan had knocked on their doors, they'd answered with bleary unmasked eyes and (in Raph's case) a small amount of cursing. They'd politely declined food, going back to bed. That left Sloan with three sandwiches and so far no takers. Descending to the second level, she knocked tentatively on Master Splinter's door.

"Come in," the old rat said. Sloan cracked open the door and stuck her head in.

"Sorry to bother you, _sensei_," she told him. "I've got some sandwiches out here and I was wondering if you wanted one."

"Thank you, Sloan," Splinter replied. "I believe I could eat something."

Ever since she'd decided to stay with the turtles, Sloan had taken to calling Splinter "_sensei_". It was a sign of respect for him, she thought, and she hadn't progressed to calling him "Master Splinter" yet. She entered his room and held out the plate for him to take a sandwich. He thanked her as she left again.

Taking a deep breath, Sloan knocked on Leo's door. Even though she'd spent the better part of the trip in his arms, she still was a little nervous around the eldest turtle. He tended to get her flustered, and her hands tended to shake when he was around. Which probably wasn't the best thing, seeing as she was holding a plate of food. She took another breath to try to steady herself, but she still wasn't prepared when he opened the door.

"Hey, um, I have food," Sloan told him, holding up the plate. "Want a sandwich?" She tried not to notice the fact that he had no mask, no belt, no knee or elbow pads. And he had his katana sheaths in one hand, like he was getting ready to polish his prized swords. Sloan felt this strange twist in her gut that had nothing to do with hunger.

"Yeah, I'll take one," he said, reaching for it. Until he noticed his hands were covered in sword-oil. He stared at them. "Um...do you mind?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh, no." Sloan grabbed one and held it up for him to take in his teeth, hoping he wouldn't be able to tell her hands were shaking even more. She'd just done the same thing to Mikey, why should this be any different?

Because it was _Leo_, that was why. His dark eyes never left hers as he took the sandwich, and the whole exchange was strangely sensual. Never before had Sloan noticed his muscles in such detail, the way his flat stomach moved as he breathed. She forced her eyes back to his. He grinned his thanks, and Sloan nodded, giving him a slightly lopsided smile.

"Uh, I can see you're busy," she started, turning away. "I'll just leave you to it, then."

Something suddenly caught her around the middle and pulled her back. Leo had taken the sandwich out of his mouth long enough to plant a lingering kiss on her cheek, holding her close to him.

"Thanks, Sloan," he told her. He let her go and took a bite of his dinner, winking at her as he closed his door.

Sloan stood dumbfounded on the other side, wondering what in the world had just happened. She made her way slowly back down the stairs, legs shaking with every step she took. She heard Mikey's laughter in the kitchen, and she knew she had to pull it together so he wouldn't tease her for being so flustered. Just to keep from having to talk to anyone, she took a bite of the remaining sandwich and walked into the kitchen.

_I can do this, _she thought. She set the empty plate in the sink and sat back down at the kitchen table.

"Hey, Sloan, we were gonna start a round of Apples to Apples later," April told her. "Wanna play? We need more people so it'll be fun."

The younger red-head swallowed and nodded, glad they hadn't said anything about her red cheeks.

...

That first week was spent on getting the interior of the house in some sort of order. The furniture wasn't too far gone – just dirty. It had to be cleaned, but after that all the furniture on the lower level was perfectly fine. The hardwood floors were mopped and the bathrooms were cleaned. The mattresses in all the rooms needed to be cleaned, and the rooms needed to be aired out. Luckily, the weather that week was perfect for them to leave all the windows and screen doors open for 48 hours straight.

That week also gave Leo and Sloan more time together. They took walks in the afternoons, just talking, meandering around the trails in the woods behind the house. They'd found a creek, and were now sitting on its mossy bank.

"What's your middle name?" Leo suddenly asked her.

Sloan grimaced. "Why do you want to know?"

He shrugged. "Curious," he answered. "I know Casey and April's, and I've always thought it would be cool to have one."

"Hm," Sloan said, looking up at the green leaves above. "Let's see...for you, it needs to be something strong sounding, like...James."

"Leonardo James Hamato," the eldest turtle mused. "I like it. Okay, what about you now?"

"I really don't want to tell you," she said. "I don't like the sound of it."

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad."

She stared at him for a long moment before she finally sighed in defeat. "Ira."

He blinked in surprise. "Ira? That's not so bad. Is it a family name?"

She nodded. "It was my great-grandfather's or something. It means 'descendant'." She smiled slightly as he took her hand.

"I like it." He smiled back. "Sloan Ira Millar and Leonardo James Hamato."

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><p><strong>FYI, the "sammiches" joke Mikey used is something my friends and I say all the time. Look up the song from the movie, you'll see :) Reviews always welcome! <strong>


	20. Big Decision

**I got to 20 chapters! Woohoo! :D Its a little shorter than the rest, but that's only because it was originally like 9 pages long, and I had to find a good breaking point...I think I split it up pretty well, if I do say so myself. Anywho, for all those reviewers out there, thank ya bunches! I'm really glad you like this so much. And, btw, its about to get good ^-^ **

**Okay, so the song the lyrics below belong to is kind of what I see as Sloan and Leo's song. The tone of it just fits so perfectly, as do the lyrics. Please look this one up (dragoscilvio, you know this one ^-^). Seriously, if you don't look up any others, look this one up. For me, okay?**

**Okay. I only own my OC's and the plotline. Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"I have wasted so much time pushing you away from me, I just never saw how you could cherish me...<br>And I need you to love me, And I, I won't keep my heart from you this time.  
>And I'll stop this pretending that I can somehow deserve what I already have.<br>I need you to love me."  
>~<em>I Need You To Love Me by BarlowGirl

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><p>That next week, Sloan awoke one morning later than usual. She initially put it down to the fact that she and Leo had stayed up late the night before watching Captain America. He liked it for the history and the military strategy...she liked it for the Captain (something she voiced only to get a rise out of Leo.)<p>

She knew her family would worry about her if she eventually didn't come down to eat, but she was just so _tired. _So, to make sure they didn't worry, she scribbled a short message on a sticky note and stuck it to the door.

_I'm fine, don't worry...I just need sleep. ~__** Sloan**_

She trudged back to bed and collapsed onto the blankets, not even bothering to crawl back beneath them.

...

Two hours later, something entirely different woke her up. Before she could even begin to process what it was, her feet were already carrying her to the bathroom. She just made it in time for her stomach to empty its contents into the toilet. Tears streaming and face burning, she dimly tried to figure out what had made her so sick, even as she heaved into the toilet again. She gasped for air and coughed once she was sure her stomach was empty.

_It _can't _have been something I ate_, she thought. _Maybe its just a bug_. Even as she thought it, she knew it was wrong – she was strangely hungry now. And nowhere near tired anymore. So, pondering the strange thing that happened, she rinsed her mouth out and cleaned herself up a bit and headed downstairs. She glanced at the clock and realized it was close to 1 in the afternoon. April, Leo, Splinter, Don, and Emily were all in the kitchen when she walked in.

"Afternoon, Sleeping Beauty," April said cheerfully. "We saved you some breakfast, but we were just getting ready to start lunch if you'd rather have that."

"Breakfast sounds _amazing_ right now," Sloan answered as April withdrew a plate from the microwave, uncovering the pancakes and bacon underneath. "I'm starvi –" She stopped as the smell of the bacon hit her nostrils, making her stomach churn. She spun and ran for the bathroom, not even registering the questioning looks from the others.

...

"Uh oh," Emily said. "Sloan's sick."

"I hope it's not too bad," April murmured, setting the plate back in the microwave.

"Maybe it's a bug," Don mused. "Master Splinter, maybe some of your special tea you always made us would help?"

It took everything Leo had not to curse violently out loud. He could feel the familiar anger simmering in his chest. His complete _hatred_ for the Purple Dragons almost had him _walking_ back to New York to kill them all, but instead he stood and followed Sloan to the bathroom. He had a sinking feeling that whatever was wrong with her probably _wasn't_ a bug.

He found her curled up on the bathroom floor, cold sweat coating her forehead. Sighing quietly, he knealt beside her, pushing sweat-dampened hair out of her face.

"H-hold on, Leo," she sniffed. "I think I'm sick – I don't want you to catch it."

"Sloan," he began hesitantly. "Listen, I think we both know that this...it's...you're not sick."

She raised her head up slightly to look at him, wiping sweat off her neck with her sleeve.

"How can I _not_ be sick? I can't stand the sight of food right now." As if in protest, her stomach rumbled hungrily.

It wasn't enough to get a smile out of the blue-banded turtle. "Hey, when...when was the last time you...y'know." He shrugged, hoping to convey his meaning without saying the embarrassing words.

"What? Ate? Slept?" She sat up, getting back some of the old fire in her eyes. "What do you mean, Leonardo?"

"Had your cycle?" he finally asked.

She looked away as she thought about it, then her eyes grew wide. She froze. "It's two weeks late," she said, her voice barely audible.

"Are you normally...uh...irregular?"

Slowly, she shook her head. "I can practically time it down to the minute." All of the sudden, she couldn't seem to get enough breath in her lungs. "Oh God...oh _God_, Leo, I..." She made for the toiled as if she'd be sick again.

"Sloan, listen to me." He took her in his arms and held on to her tightly. "We're not sure, okay? April...April can take you to the doctor and get some answers."

She nodded, her hand finding his. Her other hand rested on her abdomen. "Anyone else," she whispered. "I could handle it if it was anybody else's. But not _him_. Not that...that _animal_."

"You'll handle it now, Sloan," Leo told her. "You're much stronger than you give yourself credit for. You...you'll see." His voice faltered, not knowing what else he could say. His anger at the whole situation was threatening to overwhelm him, but he knew he needed to be strong for Sloan. For the girl he loved. He glanced up at the ceiling, wondering if this was the extent of whatever gods were up there were going to put her through. Before his thoughts could go any further, he felt Sloan's hand on his shoulder. It moved to his cheek, turning his head so he could look at her.

"Do _not_ go rogue on me, Leonardo," she commanded. "One angry turtle in this family is enough."

"What – " he started, confused. He stopped when Sloan put a hand on his where it rested on her shoulder. It was then that he realized that he was holding her _very_ tightly. So tightly, in fact, that his muscles were shaking in protest.

"S-sorry," he murmured. "I guess you could tell I was a little angry."

She held up her thumb and index finger, millimeters apart. "Just a little bit."

He kissed her gently on the forehead. "You know if April takes you to the doctor, we're going to have to tell her how it happened."

She sighed and layed her head on his shoulder. "I know. I'd rather just get it over with now."

He rubbed her shoulder with his thumb, reluctant to let her go. They sat there for a good half-hour, just being each other's comfort. They would have stayed longer, if April hadn't knocked on the door and found them.

"Hey," she said softly, sticking her head in the small room. "Sloan, are you gonna be okay?"

"That remains to be seen," the girl sniffed. "Why don't you come in, April, there's something I want to tell you."

...

Once April was settled, Sloan told her the truth about what had happened while she was imprisoned.

"They were relentless," she said. "They wouldn't leave me alone for an hours' time. You saw the whip marks, and when I escaped with the guys those were even a few days old. Most of them quit after things with me got old, but not _him_. He kept at it, kept thinking he could break me." She suddenly paused in her tale, tears coming to her eyes. "And he was right."

"No, no, honey," April comforted her. She glanced up at Leo, hoping for a bit of help, but his angry gaze was set on the floor, his arms tightening around Sloan.

"If anything, all this has made you stronger," the woman went on. "If he'd truly broken your spirit, you wouldn't have escaped or fought so fiercely to get to your sister. You wouldn't have saved Raph's life, and I daresay you wouldn't have survived in that place for as long as you did."

"But," Sloan went on. "The dreams – "

"Do you think soldiers don't have dreams about the things they had to go through? Do you think _they_ are weak for it?"

Slowly, the girl shook her head. April smiled softly at her.  
>"You'll get through this, too. I know you will. Now..." The woman stood up, brushing her hands off on her shorts. "I'm going to go make you an appointment with a doctor, and we're going to get you all fixed up."<p>

As she turned to leave, she realized she couldn't tell the rest of the family yet – it was obvious that Sloan didn't want anyone else to know about her condition. Not until she was ready to tell them herself, anyway. But, she was determined to help the girl. April didn't know what all that would entail, but she just hoped that Sloan made the right decision.

...

"You know you don't have to go through with this," Leo told her softly once April had gone. "You don't have to put yourself through the torture of it all."

"I'm pregnant with my rapist's child," Sloan said softly, making Leo's blood boil fiercely again. But, her next statement had him looking at her in disbelief.

"But, why should I punish the child for it?" she asked. She didn't seem to be looking for an answer. "It's not the baby's fault, after all. I don't know if I would put it up for adoption, or what. I just know I...I just _can't_ do that."

She looked up at Leo, her eyes pleading. "But...don't leave me, okay? I can't do it alone."

He shook his head and kissed her softly. "I would _never_ desert you, Sloan," he told her, resting his forehead against hers. "I promise, I'll be with you every single step of the way."

She sniffed. "But I don't deserve it."

At that, he actually pulled back and gripped her shoulders. "Listen to me, you have done _nothing_ wrong. There is nothing you could say or do that will change the way I feel. I'm in this for the long haul, and I hope you are, too."

"Wh-what are you saying?"

Leo took a deep breath, knowing that his next words were going to be the most important ones he ever said to her.

"That I love you, Sloan Ira Millar. I love you, and I want to be with you for as long as I live."

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><p><strong>See what I mean about the stopping point? Reviews always welcome! :D<strong>


	21. Answers

**Woohoo I have Internet at the Beach! :D So, to celebrate the start of my vacation, I give you all the gift of a new chapter! Thank you to my reviewers (all of them ^-^) I'm soooo incredibly thankful for your feedback and comments :) I'm actually going to let this chapter speak for itself now. As always, I only own my OC's and the plotline. Enjoy, you guys!**

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><p><em>"Be my asleep at last, kiss me slow and hold me fast, be my sail and be my mast, in the blue forever cast<br>__your love f__ar from pain and past, be my this one's meant to last."  
><em>~Asleep at Last by The Wailin' Jenny's.

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><p>Sloan stared up at Leo, her blue eyes wide. She tried to say something, but nothing came out. All she could do was stare at him in disbelief. As time went on, a crooked smile played on Leo's lips.<p>

"Are you surprised?"

"Uh..of course I am," Sloan answered, finally finding her voice. "I...I just don't know...how to process..."

He cut her off with a quick kiss. "Then say yes."

She laughed. "What exactly am I saying yes to?"

Leo grew serious again, even though the hint of a smile was still in his eyes. "You and me. Together."

"I thought we were already together?"

"No, _together_ together."

"Saying the word twice isn't a good enough explanation, honey, I need a little bit more here."

He laughed and kissed her again, nuzzling her neck when she pulled away. "Stay with me, forever. Be mine, and mine alone." His eyes found hers again. "I know it's unconventional and probably not what you'd imagined, but – "

"Leonardo Hamato, are you asking me to marry you?" Sloan's tone was joking, but her smile fell when he didn't laugh with her.

"Oh my God, you're _serious..._" she barely breathed. She couldn't believe Leo – rational, calculating, slightly-anal _Leo _had basically just proposed to her. After being "together" for a week. She was amazed that he was doing something so spontaneous, so...based on emotion.

"Look," he said. "You're going to need someone to take care of you in a few months, someone there for you almost all the time. And I _want to be that someone_. Please, don't turn me down."

"I..." She took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. Truthfully, even though everything she'd ever imagined her proposal would be was completely different than what had just transpired, she couldn't find a single reason she shouldn't agree. Leo had always been there for her during her rougher times, and he genuinely cared about her. He'd shown it numerous times in the ways he'd taken care of her over the month or so she'd known them.

As she looked up at him, something snapped within her. Her heart suddenly felt too full, almost full to bursting, and she found herself smiling. Tears of joy filled her eyes as she finally realized that she wasn't alone in all this. There was someone who loved her, who was willing to do anything to make her happy. Even sit in the floor of a bathroom for over an hour with her in his arms and a baby in her stomach.

"I love you," she finally said. "Leo, I love you. Yes. A thousand times, _yes_!"

...

Oroku Saki suddenly dropped the sword he'd been polishing, his eyes wide and hands shaking. He'd felt it, an undeniable _shift_ in the fabric of time and space. He stood up, yelling for his aide to bring Hun to him.

It was _her_.

He gingerly picked up his sword and sheathed it, momentarily forgetting that only half of it had been polished. He placed it back on its hook on the wall and tied his kimono back in place. He took his seat in the spacious main room, awaiting the giant hulk of a man. He fidgited on his chair, something he _never _did. He looked down, found the kimono tie not to his liking, and re-tied it. With a growl, he stood and started going through his most intricate katas, hoping to refocus his mind. But even that wasn't working.

By the time Hun finally arrived (what was really only five minutes later), Shredder was sitting straight-backed in his chair, gripping the arm-rests with such force that he put dents in the wood. His cold black eyes found the great mass that was Hun, and they narrowed.

"Y-you wanted to see me, Masta?" Hun asked between breaths. He'd obviously run the entire way, eager to please his Master. The punishment from his latest failure was evident in the purple bruise that surrounded his eye and his still-healing bottom lip.

"It's her, Hun," Shredder told him. "Something strange has happened. She is no longer on my grid."

"Yer...'grid'?"

Shredder looked at him like he was insane. "Yes, my grid, my radar, whatever the hell you want to call it." He turned away, staring at the map of the city on the wall. It had numerous dark circles, marked-out names, and even a few burn marks on it, all from where they'd searched for the girl and found nothing. "She's gone, and I can't find her."

"I thought ya were lookin' fer her, though," Hun replied, and for once Saki wasn't pleased by the tremulous note in the bigger man's voice. "Dat's...dat's what da map's for...right?"

"I never had any real need for this thing." Shredder tore the map violently off the wall and threw it aside, revealing strange symbols etched into the wall. Saki knew what they were – symbols to enhance his meditation, to make the girl more open to his manipulations. As he looked at them, they began to burn away at the edges. Saki's nostrils flared in anger. "This was my only hope, and now it's _gone_!"

"What are ya saying, sir?"

"What I'm saying, you idiot of a man," Shredder roared, launching out of his chair and stalking right up to Hun. "Is that whatever has kept her tied to my consciousness these past weeks is no longer _there_!"

Hun took a few hurried steps back, trying to get away from him, but Saki grabbed his shirt and held him still.

"Those _turtles_ are behind it, and now the only way I could find _any_ of them just disappeared! They are virtually gone! I can't sense them anymore! And that, Hun, is very bad for you and every other member of this organization who comes back from the next search with nothing!"

Saki knew he was giving an empty threat (at least in Hun's case), but it was still a little satisfying to see the familar fear in the bigger man's eyes. He released Hun and stepped back, making his way once again over to his meditation area. He lowered himself to the floor and assumed the correct position.

"Leave me!" he commanded, and he heard Hun trip over himself trying to get out of the room too fast. As the door closed behind Hun, Saki closed his eyes and concentrated.

He was going to try to find her again, and this time he wasn't going to let her slip away.

...

That afternoon, the sun decided to shine and a breeze decided to blow, making it rather comfortable outside. Everyone but Master Splinter and Sloan were playing ultimate frisbee putside with a disc Casey picked up at Wal Mart. Leo and Mikey were currently trying to explain to Emily that you could only take three steps after catching the disc – she kept wanting to get the disc and run, forgoing all the rules. Sloan was sitting in the new porch swing beside Master Splinter's rocking chair. The old rat could tell something was off with the young woman. Her _chi_ was off, flowing in a different direction. Splinter sensed it concentrating at the base of her spine, rather than between her shoulders where it normally was.

"Sloan," he started. "Do you not want to play with the rest of them?"

She shook her head. "I'm not really feeling up to it today, _sensei_."

Splinter smiled. "My dear, there is no longer any need to be so formal with me. You may call me by my name, if you'd like..." His smile fell into a playful grin, his whiskers twitching. "Or 'Father' if that suits the situation better."

Sloan's cheeks reddened, but she still didn't look at the rat-master. No doubt she'd already known Leonardo had told his father his good news. Still, it was slightly embarrassing for Sloan that Splinter knew so soon. She smiled in his direction, but it did not reach her eyes.

"Thank you, Master Splinter," she whispered.

Something was still very wrong. Even when she was depressed, she'd always tried to make sure Splinter thought she was okay. She never wanted to worry the old rat. Now, however, she was definitely worrying him.

"My dear, you are not acting like yourself," he finally said. "Is there anything you would like to talk about?"

"_Sensei_, you probably don't want to hear a teenager's troubles."

"You forget I live with four of them," he answered dryly, earning him a genuine smile from Sloan. "These ears may be old, but they can still hear perfectly fine."

The young woman returned her gaze to her family still running around in the front yard. "I'm just worried, is all." She sighed. "Worried...and angry."

He could see why – Leonardo had explained to him Sloan's unique situation, and the circumstances behind it. In truth, he was a little angry himself. However, he'd put aside his own anger to help Leonardo with his. Splinter had told him to try to let it go and focus everything on helping Sloan get through her pregnancy. Now it was time to help Sloan do the same thing. Splinter knew he was treading on thin ice with what he was about to say. But, he believed talking about it would help her. So, taking a deep breath, he jumped headlong into it.

"Sloan, did they do anything unforgivable to you while you were in that cell?" He already knew the answer, he just wanted to make Sloan face it all. That was the only way she could let go of her anger and focus her energy on making her child healthy...not to mention helping herself at the same time.

"They did a lot of unforgivable things, Master Splinter," she replied. "But yes."

"One of which led to your conception."

She sighed, keeping her eyes on the game before them. "I guess Leo told you all my secrets, huh?" The rigid way in which she sat told Splinter that he'd hit a nerve. Feeling at fault, he reached out a tentative paw and grasped her hand in a fatherly gesture.

"Is this the act which also plagued your dreams?"

Finally, she ducked her head, squeezing the rat's paw. She sniffed, obviously close to tears.

"Yes, _sensei_."

Splinter sighed, trying his best to figure out how to get through to her. "Leonardo is very worried about you," he started. "As we all are. You have been through so much, and this might be hard for you to hear, but you must try to let it go. It is not healthy to harbor such feelings for so long, and it is even more unhealthy to keep them bottled up." He paused, trying to gauge Sloan's reaction. When she didn't say anything, he went on. "I am saying all this because I want you to be happy, and I know you cannot be if you are constantly angry about the circumstances. It is not good for you...or the little one." He reached over and placed a gentle hand on her stomach.

"So much hate and anger can taint a child, make his life full of anger as well."

Sloan looked at Splinter and smiled grimly. "So...he told you my decision too." She laughed slightly and shook her head as Splinter sat back in his chair, folding his hands on his lap. "I understand what you're doing, Master, and I appreciate it. I'm trying to move past it, I really am...but I'm afraid I won't be able to if I keep the baby. I'm afraid it'll only remind me of how it was concieved. I'm also afraid I can't take care of it. I mean, I've already got Emily to worry about. She'll be starting school soon, and once I turn eighteen I'm going to formally adopt her...I don't know if I can handle someone else being dependent on me." She paused, and Splinter noticed her eyes were on Leonardo. The eldest turtle had Emily thrown over one shoulder, playing with her as she laughed. A large smile was on his face as well.

"On the other hand," Sloan continued. "I...I can't begin to fathom carrying it to term and then just giving it away." She put a hand on her stomach. "Is it wrong to think about keeping it?" She looked at Splinter, her eyes pleading. "Is that completely irresponsible?"

"It is your choice, my daughter," Splinter replied. He had a feeling this was now a conversation for his eldest son. He thought he knew what Leonardo would say to her...but he knew he no longer had a part in the decision-making process. He smiled at her as he stood up stiffly. "I cannot say I am disappointed in your decision to carry it. What happens after is a discussion for...someone else." His smile widened as Leonardo ascended the steps and made for the seat beside Sloan. "Now, I believe it is time for my afternoon tea and my stories."

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><p><strong>Whoa, lot's of paragraph's at the end of this chapter O.o Anywho, reviews are always welcome guys! Lemme know how I'm doing ^-^ (and if you have any songlyric ideas, PM me or leave them in a review...I'm curious as to what your opinions are ) **


	22. Why not me?

**Here it is, just for you all :) Chapter 22! Hope you guys like it, I've had all these ideas rolling around in my head these past days, and I had to write them down before my computer died. Thank you guys for all the reviews guys ^-^. I only own my OC's and the plotline. Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"Walking the night without youSkies too high without you/Losing my way on silent roads without you."_  
>~Walking the Night by Celtic Woman<p>

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><p>April and Sloan returned from the doctor's office that next evening. Don and Raph turned around as they entered the house. Donatello noticed that Sloan looked a little ashen, while April was absolutely livid.<p>

"How dare they just _assume_ that?" she exclaimed, throwing her bag and keys on the table. Sloan placed a hand on April's arm and shook her head slightly, looking at the two middle brothers. April said something softly to her, her tone still angry. Sloan shrugged, looking at the counter. Donnie could see that something was wrong, but he wasn't sure what. All he knew was that Sloan and April had left after lunch to take the younger girl to the doctor.

"Is anything wrong?" he'd asked Sloan. "You know you can just talk to me about it and save you the trip."

She'd smiled at him, something not quite right about it. "I don't think you can help me," she'd said. "But, thank you anyway, Donatello."

The sound of her voice saying his name had ignited all the feelings he'd been trying to repress for the last two weeks. And seeing how Leo was acting hadn't been helping, either. That morning when Sloan had come downstairs for breakfast, Leo had immediately thrown all his attention on her. He'd watched her pour her cereal with this stupidly-happy grin spread across his face. She'd caught his eye and smiled, her cheeks turning slightly pink, and the grin went wider. He was obviously on cloud nine. Donnie began to think they had somehow made a huge leap in their relationship the previous night, like Raph and Hannah had at the Battle Nexus, but he'd quelled that thought before it could gain solid ground in his mind. Whatever had happened, he didn't want to know.

Now, with Sloan in the kitchen and no Leo to be found, Donnie couldn't help but wonder how things would be if he'd asked first. Would he be the one with the stupid grin on his face? Would Sloan be looking at him like they shared some unspoken secret? Would she blush when she looked at him?

"Donnie?" she asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Did the bread insult you or something?"

He looked down at the loaf of bread gripped so tightly in his hands that he was squishing it, suddenly remembering that he'd been getting ready to make himself a sandwich. He let Sloan take the bread out of his hands, hoping she couldn't see them shaking.

"Don, listen," she said quietly as April and Raph went further into the house. "Can you gather everyone in the living room in about an hour? There's something I need to tell everybody."

He nodded silently, unable to meet her blue gaze. He hoped she would leave him alone and go about her business, but she didn't.

"Donnie?" When he still looked away, she put a gentle hand under his chin and forced him to look at her. "Don, there's something wrong, I know it. I know you guys too well, and you're not acting like yourself. Now, tell me what's up."

Donatello stared back into her eyes and could tell that she wasn't backing down. He sighed in defeat.

"If you know me so well, how could you miss the fact that I liked you, too?"

He hadn't meant for the words to come out, but now that he'd started he couldn't stop them. They were like verbal vomit; he couldn't do anything to keep them down.

"The only reason...the _only _reason you chose Leo was because he was always there. He watched over you while you slept, and I know you talked to him the most. But while he was doing that, _I_ was reasearching ways to make you better when you were depressed. _I_ saved your life the first night you were with us. _I_ held you as you cried in that cell." As he'd gone on, his voice grew softer in his anger. His hazel eyes blazed into hers as he verbally ripped into her.

"Did you _ever once_ consider my feelings towards you? Or did you just pick him because he made the first move? Was it because he's the oldest, like you? Or did you have the most in common with him?"

Donatello took a step towards her, then another, backing her up to the wall next to the door.

"How many times did I make you laugh? How long did I spend trying to get to know you those first couple of days you were with us? You remember, right? You were stuck in the Lab, with only me for company. What changed, Sloan? Why him? Why not me, huh? _Why not me?_"

"Donnie!" Leo's angry voice suddenly cut into him, and he blinked. He had Sloan trapped against the wall and his own body, her face betraying her fear. He could feel her shaking against him before Leo suddenly muscled his way in between them. He stared down into his younger brother's face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, livid.

Seeing his brother so protective of her only made Don even angrier. He stepped back from Leo, narrowing his eyes in a glare. He didn't say anything, just bumped roughly into Leo's shoulder as he left the kitchen.

...

"What was _that_?" Leo mused aloud, turning to follow his brother's retreat. He looked down at Sloan, hoping she could give him an answer, but she just shook her head. He kept her gaze on the floor.

"Sloan," he said, gripping her arms. "What did he say? Did he do anything to you? What about..." He couldn't find the words, but his hand strayed to her stomach. She sniffed and gently pushed his hand away.

"It's fine," she said softly. "He didn't hurt me. I-I could tell he hadn't been acting right, and when I confronted him about it I got a little more than I bargained for." She looked up at him.

"But that still doesn't give him the right to treat you that way."

"If I hadn't been so caught off-guard, I would have slapped him silly."

Leo couldn't help but smile at the Southern girl coming out of her. "Are you gonna be okay?"

She nodded. "I'm just not so sure about Donnie, though." She leaned into him, curling in on herself, and he held on to her. "He...he has feelings for me, Leo. Apparently he's always had them."

"But –"

"Don't worry," she assured him. She lifted her head and kissed the underside of his jaw. "I'm with you, Fearless. But I'm just afraid of what his outburst means."

"Maybe," Leo started, gently rocking Sloan from side to side. "He just needed to get some stuff off his chest?"

"Mm. I hope so." She stepped away from him and pulled him into the living room with her. "C'mon. I think it's time we told everyone the news." She pulled him down onto the couch and laid her head on his shoulder. His arm came around her and they sat there like that in silence, trying to figure out how they were going to explain the situation. As time went on, Leo found his thoughts straying to the previous morning. He didn't know what had come over him when he'd asked Sloan to be his. It had just sort of slipped out. He'd laid all his feelings out for her, something he never would have done if he was in his right mind. But, he was in love. And love is an irrational emotion.

Of course, his rational mind flew out the window the moment she'd said yes. He'd been so _happy_ that she was finally realizing how he truly felt, and that she could rely on him to be there for her. He grinned. He was incredibly, unbelievably happy. He glanced down at her, his grin slipping slightly as he saw how lost in thought she was.

"Hey," he said, tilting her chin up. Crystal blue eyes found dark grey and held them. Leo opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly there was nothing to say. He sat there, staring at her like an idiot, not saying anything. But she didn't seem to mind. She seemed just as entranced with him as he was with her. She reached up a hand and drew it slowly down his cheek, watching his reaction.

At her touch, a searing blaze of awareness flowed through him. Something awoke inside him, something primal. He'd felt it before, the first time he kissed her. He'd barely managed to quell it then, but this time it seemed so much more intense. He bent and claimed her mouth in a kiss, barely noticing her hands gripping his shoulders. She pushed him away a split-second before he heard someone clear their throat.

Leo managed to suppress the angry growl that wanted to rise up in his throat. He turned to the bottom of the stairs, still keeping his arms around Sloan.

Wait...when had he grabbed her?

"You two had better cool it," Mikey said, wiggling a finger at them. "You don't want Master Splinter to catch you goin' at it."

"Mikey," Leo warned. The youngest brother held his hands up in an 'I surrender' gesture and flopped down on the loveseat across from them.

"Just sayin'," he told them. "Everyone else'll be down soon. Figured I'd just get a good seat."

Leo glared at him until Sloan put her hands over his.

"You can let me go now, Leonardo," she said, gently pushing his hands off her.

"Sorry," he said. He didn't know where this sudden protectiveness was coming from. The entire time he'd been looking at Mikey, he'd heard the word _challenge_ in his mind. Maybe it was just his animalistic side that thought Mikey was going to take Sloan from him. He shook his head slightly to clear it.

Beside him, Sloan shivered. She pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and threw it across their laps, curling into Leo's side. Again she rested her head on his shoulder. His arm came around her as he watched Mikey take out a hand-held videogame and start to play it.

"You know," Sloan suddenly whispered in his ear. "I never thought anyone would look at me the way you do."

He was going to ask what she meant, but froze as she put a hand on his thigh under the blanket. He pulled back and looked at her, at the small mischievous smile playing on her lips. And then he felt it – just how badly he wanted her. He blushed fiercely because she'd obviously found out about it. Hence the blanket to hide it. He coughed slightly in embarrassment and closed his eyes, hoping that Mikey hadn't seen. He rested his head on the back of the couch, Sloan nestled comfortably at his side.

He opened his eyes a few minutes later to see his youngest brother watching him. Mikey waggled his eyebrows and pointed down between his own legs.

Leo blushed again and glared, sending Mikey a silent signal. _Don't you _dare_ tell._

Mikey shrugged and went back to his game, smiling slightly. Leo tried to think of anything else besides the beautiful girl sitting beside him, her body pressed into his side. He closed his eyes again, going over _katas_ in his mind. By the time everyone else was gathering in the living room, he'd gotten himself back under control. He stood with Sloan, standing in front of the fireplace and facing his family.

"I guess you guys are wondering why we called you here," he said, looking at them all. He felt a tiny twinge of anger at Donatello, who had his eyes on the floor. Everyone but Master Splinter and April were in the dark about the whole thing. He hoped they would take it in stride, and support Sloan as much as he did.

...

Donnie didn't know why he'd acted that way. After his his outburst, all he'd wanted to do was hide away in his room and simmer. After he'd simmered a while, he realized what he'd done and sat there trying to figure out an appropriate way to apologize. He'd sat there for the next hour, and after all that he'd had nothing. He was up shit creek without a paddle.

He had wanted to say in his room when Raph came to get him. But, his older brother had been adamant that for there to be a family meeting, the entire family had to be present.

Now, he sat on the couch between Casey and Master Splinter, feeling miserable. He couldn't even look up as Leo began talking. He was always the one talking, the one with the plan. Maybe that was why she'd chosen him.

_Stop it!_ Donnie thought. _Focus._

He watched as Leo took Sloan's hand, standing with her in front of them all. Raph and Mikey were on the loveseat, with Emily on Raph's lap. Everyone else was crammed onto the adjacent couch.

Don looked at April, saw her give Sloan a reassuring smile. He followed her gaze to see Leo squeeze her hand.

"Do you want me to tell them or should I?" he asked.

"I'll do it." She took a deep breath. "I've never seen the point in beating around the bush, so I guess I'll just come out and say it." Another deep breath, another hand squeeze.

"I'm pregnant."

The words hung heavy in the silence that followed, and Don felt his world shatter. Any hope he had about his suspicions being wrong was gone. They were together, had been _together_. He felt his head drop into his hands.

"Damn, Leo, you sure work fast," Raphael said, making Mikey laugh.

"Um, well, congrats, you two," Casey said.

"Thanks, but," Leo began uncertainly. "It...its not mine."

Another silence. This time, it took a few seconds for Don to process the words. _Huh?_

"Wait, so..." Mikey said. "If not _you_, then..."

Donatello lifted his head, his heart sinking into his stomach. "The Purple Dragons?" he asked softly. Sloan nodded.

"WHAT?" Casey, Mikey, and Raph all exclaimed. Raph actually stood up.

"How long've you known?" Michelangelo asked Leo.

"For a while," Leo answered. "Its an awful situation, but...that's the extent of the bad news."

Don was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Sloan had been raped. His throat felt too tight, like someone was gently squeezing it until he suffocated. Of course, now that his rational brain was working he realized that the timing was all wrong for Leo to be the father...which meant that they probably _hadn't _been together. He couldn't help it – his heart lifted somewhat.

"So...is there more good news?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah," Sloan said, smiling. She exchanged one of those looks with Leo that made her blush, and Leo grinned at her.

"We're, uh..." Leo said. "We're engaged."

...

Hannah walked down the coast, letting the surf roll over her bare feet. She didn't bother with shoes – she absolutely hated them. The salt air blew her hair around her face, sea spray landing on her skin and face. She could taste the salt on her lips as she walked. The sun warmed the bare skin of her shoulders, the sleeves of her shirt rolled up. She knew she was getting closer to the Camp borders with each step she took, but she knew the person she wanted to see was closer to the outside of the borders. She looked up and there he was. Dressed in his usual Hawaiian print shirt and chinos. As he got closer, Hannah broke into a run and launched herself into his arms.

"Hey, Grandpa!" she exclaimed.

"Hello, Achilles. Are you almost ready to go?"

Hannah smiled. "Almost. Mom and Dad have to have 'the talk' with me, and then I'll be ready to go."

"'The talk'?" Poseidon asked, grimacing. "What all is _that_ gonna entail?"

"I have no idea."

Turns out 'the talk' was just a 'be careful in New York and don't do anything stupid' kind of talk. On the word _stupid_ Percy Jackson had looked at his daughter with raised eyebrows.

"You know what I mean," he'd said.

She couldn't help but smile. "I know, Daddy," she'd told him.

Now, she stood with her suitcase outside the door of their house, waiting for her Grandfather to come get her and take her to New York. She sat on the front steps with her suitcase between her feet, waiting.

She was getting anxious. She was a mere two hours away from seeing Raphael again, and she couldn't wait. To be in his arms again, to be able to kiss him again, to..._be_ with him again...it was almost overwhelming to think about.

Almost.

She was finally going to be with him. For a whole summer, and possibly more if she could convince her parents to go along with it. She was tired of being without him. She was ready to spend almost every moment of her free time with him and his family. She was so incredibly excited she couldn't stand it. She looked up as she heard her Grandfather step onto the path to her house.

Poseidon walked up to the steps, hat in his hand. "We've got a problem."

Hannah's brow furrowed. "What problem?" She stood up. "Grandpa, is there something wrong? Is one of them hurt? Is...is Raph –"

"They're fine, they're all fine," he assured her. "They're just not in New York."

Hannah blinked. "What?"

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><p><strong>Hope you guys liked it :) Jess Marylin, I put Hannah in here for you ^-^. Reviews are always welcome guys!<strong>


	23. Well Hi There

**Halloooo dearies :) Chapter 23 is now up! :D I'm sooo so glad I had time to write this up before moving back to college and starting my new job ^-^ And guess what? Its in Valle Crucis! My absolute favorite place, and I couldn't hope to work anywhere else. Thank you soo much for all the reviews and the positive feedback! Okay, so in regards to Sloan's pregnancy, I noticed some of you saying "Oh, I couldn't do it, I would get an abortion"...I promise you guys, the last thing I wanna do in this story is bash on someone's beliefs. This is personally how I feel, but I respect everyone's opinions on the subject. Thank you, everyone, for sticking with Sloan for so long ^-^ As always, I only own my OC's and the plotline. **

**Okay, on to the good stuff :)**

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><p><em>"I always knew I felt this waybut I couldn't find the time to say/to myself I've got to let it go.  
>Through all the joy and all the painwith the drought and the rain/the honest truth is all I want to know.  
>Let it fall, let go."<br>~_Let It Fall by Sean Watkins

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><p>Donnie stood with his head against his window in his room. In the two days since Leo and Sloan had announced their engagement, and he'd barely emerged from his room. He had numerous little gadgets and things strewn around, trying to distract his saddened mind, but nothing was working. All he could do was stand there and watch as Raphael and Michelangelo began doing some yardwork.<p>

When they'd told the rest of the family, everyone was more than happy to congratulate them. Donnie had even made a valiant effort to look happy for them. He'd known that something was up – known for quite a while – but he hadn't wanted to admit it. He knew now that he'd had no chance with Sloan, as she was soon going to become his sister-in-law. He needed to man (or turtle) up and get on with life. He needed to show everyone he was fine, that they shouldn't worry. He needed to let his feelings for Sloan go and realize that she was only going to be a friend from now on. Don took a deep breath and let it out, and with it he locked his feelings for Sloan away in his mind. He wouldn't say anything or do anything to jeapordize her relationship with his oldest brother. That was the last thing he wanted to do, as he had never seen her more happy. She'd practically _glowed_ when she and Leo told them all the good news. Don truly was happy for them.

So why did he still feel so empty?

He picked his head up as he heard a knock at the door. He didn't even bother telling whoever it was to come in. He knew they would anyway, so he kept his attention on the window.

"Donnie?"

Ice filled his veins. It was _her_. Why oh why did _she_ have to be the one to talk to him.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's just fine," he replied shortly.

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" she said. He imagined her with her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised at him.

"Well, I was hoping you would."

She scoffed and he heard footsteps as she approached him. He tried not to pay attention, but it was hard to do so when she stopped in front of him. He could see her reflection in the window, could see the frustration in her blue eyes.

"Donatello, look at me," she commanded, her voice stern. He sighed and obeyed.

"Now, I don't know why you're up here sulkin' like someone just shot your puppy," she went on, poking him hard in the shoulder. All the breath came out of him in a surprised _whoosh_. She poked hard.

"But, all of us are worried about you. Sitting up here all by yourself isn't healthy, and I should know."

He grimaced and looked at the floor, crossing his arms over his chest. "I know," he finally said. "I don't know if I'm truly this unhappy or if I'm just throwing a temper tantrum." As the words left him, he suddenly knew the answer. He _was_ angry, angry about losing her. Angry that his brother had persued her as well. Even though Leonardo hadn't known about Donatello's feelings on the matter. Soon, Donnie found himself wondering why he'd ever gotten angry in the first place. He raised his eyes to Sloan's again.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "About what I said in the kitchen the other day. It...I was wrong to corner you like that. Sometimes I think that I bottle everything up that eventually it all comes out at once, and I can't stop it."

Sloan smiled somewhat sadly and reached out and squeezed his arm. "I know. It just scared me when it happened, y'know?"

Don nodded. Suddenly, Sloan pulled him away from the window and towards the door.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"You need some good, ol' fashioned sunshine, Donatello," she answered, getting behind him and pushing him out into the hall. "It'll do a world of good."

"But – "

"No buts. Now, go help Raph and Mikey."

"H-hold on!" Don said just before Sloan could push him towards the stairs. She stepped back, and he turned to face her. "Can you answer one question first?"

Sloan looked up at him curiously and nodded. Donatello found himself searching her face, looking for a sign that she felt anything towards him. It was a habit he'd picked up over the near month and a half she'd been with them. He mentally chided himself for still doing it, knowing that there would be nothing but friendship there.

"Why him? Seriously, I need to know what he did that made him so special to you."

Sloan sighed and looked away, gathering her thoughts. It took her a few moments, and Don almost thought she couldn't find an answer. But, she took a deep breath and looked up at him a few seconds later.

"He keeps me sane."

Donnie blinked, confused. "How?"

Sloan shook her head. "I dunno. It's like...I know if I ever have a problem, or a bad day or anything, one word from him makes everything okay. One touch of his hand sends this signal through me that lets me know 'its okay, Leo's here'. And that's all I need to know. Even with this whole pregnancy thing, he's been the strong one. I know I can count on him to keep being strong, even when I'm not. Something unseen has bound us together, and I don't think it can be severed." She shrugged. "Did that answer your question?"

Don's mouth hung slightly open at her words. If he'd ever thought he had a chance, it had just been dashed to bits. Strangely, he found himself okay with that. She had never been his to persue. She'd always been Leo's. Always been _destined_ to be Leo's.

Donnie smiled his first true smile in days and nodded. "Yeah."

...

Raph grunted as he slammed the hoe back into the soft earth. He, Mikey, and Don were busy getting a small patch of the yard ready for a garden. April had wanted one so that she could finally try her hand at growing vegetables, and since the three brothers were already outside and dirty from previous yard work, April had commissioned them to lay out an area for a garden. Now, they were turning the soil over and breaking it up. Casey and April had left to get fertilizer from the closest hardware store, leaving the rest of the group to their business.

Raphael wiped a sweaty arm over his forehead, brushing off dirt and sweat that was getting in his eyes. It was only May, but the late-afternoon sun was still hot and hard work could work up a good sweat. He set the blade of the hoe in the ground and crossed his arms over the handle.

"We almost done, Genius?" he asked his younger brother. Donatello was currently testing the acidity of the soil to see just which crops would grow best.

"Yeah, for today," Don answered, finally looking away from the small strip of paper in his fingers. "Sloan's got dinner started, so I guess we should all – _holy shit there's someone coming up the driveway!_"

Raphael turned and growled, suddenly on edge. He held up the hoe like it was actually a weapon. Don was right, there _was _someone walking up the driveway. A man, and he'd gotten way to close. There wasn't any way that he hadn't already seen them. And yet he was walking up the path so nonchalantly. No, not walking..._strolling_. This guy was straight up taking a stroll up to their house. A wide straw hat hid his face, but he seemed to be relaxed about the whole thing. He walked with his hands in the pockets of his khaki chinos, his blue Hawaiian-print shirt unbuttoned and showing off the white wife-beater underneath.

Something strange came over Raphael in that moment, and he found himself lowering the hoe.

"Dude, Raph, we gotta hide!" Mikey exclaimed. Behind him, Donnie was still cursing frantically under his breath. Raphael's only answer was to hold up a hand to keep them from panicking. There was something familiar about the man. He seemed to carry the smell of the sea on him, and a warm breeze blew what felt like salt spray in Raph's face. The man came to a stop in front of the red-banded turtle, pushing his hat up with his thumb. Sea green eyes crinkled around the edges as he smiled, tanned skin and salt-and-pepper stubble instantly placing him in Raphael's mind.

"Poseidon," he barely breathed.

"Hello, Raphael Hamato," the sea god replied. He held out his hand and Raph took it, still in mild shock. He was almost afraid to ask the question that was suddenly weighing so heavily on his mind.

Almost.

"Is...is she...?" He couldn't even find the words, but Poseidon seemed to understand.

"Yes," he nodded. "She should be here soon. It took us a while to find you guys, you know. When you want to disappear, you _really_ disappear."

"Y-yeah, I..." Raphael trailed off, his eyes being drawn to what was now making its way up the driveway. It was a brand new red Chevy Camaro. It pulled to a stop just behind the sea god. The way the sun glinted off the pain made Raph's heat race. It

At least, that's what he kept told himself until the driver got out. Raph's breath caught in his throat.

There she was, looking sexy as hell in a white tank top, dark Wrangler jeans, and dusty cowboy boots. Her skin was darker and her hair was lighter, like she'd been spending most of her time outside. The blond strands blew around her face and the pair of red Ray-Bans shielding her eyes from the sun. Her form seemed hazy, as the heat from the day seemed to distort it. Raphael dimly wondered if he'd ever seen anything more breathtaking.

She stopped right in front of him, slipping her sunglasses onto the top of her head. Her green eyes found his, and hshe smiled.

"Hey, Red," she said.

Raph's breath puffed out as she spoke, her voice sending a shiver of pleasure down his spine. He couldn't take his eyes off the girl in front of him. How often in the last five months had he dreamed of seeing her again? And here she was, standing close enough to touch.

"I think she broke Raphael's brain," Mikey whispered to Don. Raph could see them out of the corner of his eye, standing next to Poseidon, but he didn't care enough at the moment to address his youngest brother's comment.

"I don't understand," Donnie said, turning to look up at the god. "Couldn't she have travelled with you? Why did she need a car to drive?"

"Its called 'making an entrance'," Poseidon supplied, his attention on his granddaughter.

"Well, don't just stand there staring," she laughed. "Say something."

Raphael couldn't – his voice didn't seem to be working. He swallowed hard, suddenly knowing what he was going to do.

He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her close to him, catching her lips with his own. His other hand came around the base of her neck, securing her mouth to his. She stiffened in surprise at first, but quickly relaxed into his embrace and kissed him back. Dimly, Raph remembered that his brothers and Hannah's godly grandparent were probably staring at them in shock, but he didn't care. He finally had her back, had her in his arms. He pulled back after a long moment and grinned, setting his forehead against hers.

Behind them, Poseidon cleared his throat a little awkwardly. "Well, I can see that my granddaughter is in good hands."

Don and Mikey snickered, but again Raphael couldn't care less. He was too caught up in Hannah to really notice anything else. She grinned back at him.

"Well, hi there," she murmured, making Raph chuckle.

"Hi yerself," he answered, touching his lips to hers again. "_God_ I missed you." He ignored Mikey making kissy-faces at him behind Hannah. But, she didn't.

She suddenly pulled _Anaklusmos_ from her back pocked, uncapping it and holding it at Mikey's throat in one swift motion.

"Yipe!" Mikey cried out softly, looking down at the Celestial bronze sword.

"Hello, Michelangelo," Hannah said with a mischievous smile.

"Hehe," Mikey gulped. "H-?" He said in one breath.

Hannah giggled and lowered her sword, stepping away from Raphael. As soon as she'd put the cap back on _Anaklusmos_, he caught her hand in his and held on tight. Hannah turned to the genius turtle.

"Hey Donnie!" she said happily. "How ya doing?"

He shrugged. "Eh, can't complain. Where'd you get the car?" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the Camaro.

Hannah smiled sheepishly. "Heh...Ares let me borrow it for doing a good job at the Nexus. Taught me to drive it, too."

"But, you didn't win," Mikey told her impishly. He chortled, but quickly stopped when Hannah made to pull her sword out again. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uh huh, that's what I thought," she told him. "And, if I remember correctly, _you_ didn't win either. Come to think of it," she went on, tapping a finger on her chin. "Did you even fight _at all_?"

"Uhm...n-no," he replied in a small voice.

Hannah smiled triumphantly. She gently pried Raphael's hand off hers and made her way over to the car, patting it on the hood. "Now, how 'bout we find a place to put this baby and you guys can tell me what you've been up to for the last five months."

Poseidon placed a gentle hand on his granddaughter's shoulder, and she turned and threw her arms around his midsection.

"Thank you Grandpa," she said. "Love you."

"You be good now, got it?" He hugged her back. As she pulled away, he pointed sternly at Raphael. "You. Take care of her, or else you'll have two gods, two powerful demigods, and one extremely pissed-off goat man if you screw up." He winked.

"Yes sir," Raph answered, wrapping his arms around Hannah and resting his chin on her shoulder. "She'll be fine with us, I promise."

"Don't promise things like that too soon," the god said, turning to walk back down the driveway. He saluted them. "You never know what could happen." They all watched him go, until he suddenly vanished in a flash of light halfway down the path.

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><p><strong>*sings* Guess who's backback again/Hannah's back/tell a friend ^-^ Reviews welcome!**


	24. Nice To Finally Meet You

**Okay, I made myself sit down and write this before summer classes started...and it NEVER ENDED o-o. So, I hope you guys enjoy the nice long chapter, because I'm not sure when I'll have time to update again. Hopefully soon, but don't hold me to that. Thank you to all my reviewers! *does a happy jig* I loves you all! As always, I only own my OC's and the plotline.**

**No lyrics up here this time ^-^ Sorry. Enjoy!**

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><p>Hannah stared at the spot where her Grandfather had vanished for a few moments before Raphael gently pulled her towards the house.<p>

"C'mon," he said lowly into her ear. "There's someone I want you to meet."

She nodded, still taking in all the sights of the area around her. She saw the horses in the pasture to one side, and noticed that they immediately came to the fence and stuck their heads over, calling to her in her mind.

"This place looks like something out of a postcard," she told Raph, looking up at the house. "It's beautiful."

"Wait till you see the _inside_," Raphael told her. "This place is great."

Hannah smiled at him and squeezed his hand, listening to him as he told her about the past week or so they'd been in North Carolina.

"I thought you told me Casey's house was upstate?" she asked. "Not down here."

"Well, this isn't Casey's house, Hannah," Don supplied, falling into step beside them.

"Yeah, it belongs to another friend of ours," Mikey said. "Her..._and _her sister." He glanced over his shoulder at Raph, a mischievious glint in his eye.

"...There's _two_ girls involved here?" Hannah asked, shooting a look at Raph.

"Mikey," Raphael warned through gritted teeth.

"Yeah," the youngest turtle laughed. "Sloan's pretty cool, but her _sister_ has been all over Raph since they met us."

Hannah stopped in her tracks and turned to said turtle, crossing her arms and staring him down. Her green eyes narrowed and Mikey snickered.

"_Mikey!_" he yelled. He made to chase after the jokester (who had just retreated into the house), but Hannah grabbed his arm and pulled him back around to face her.

"Raphael," she began icily. "Is there something you wanna tell me?"

"Yeah," he snapped back. "That little _twerp_ is so completely dead when I get my hands on 'im."

"_Raph_!" Hannah exclaimed. "I mean about –"

Suddenly, the front door banged open and a small girl raced down the steps, calling for Raphael.

"Raffel!" she exclaimed, running up to him and grabbing onto his leg. As if by reflex, he reached down and picked her up, all anger at his younger brother forgotten. As the little girl reached her level, Hannah saw that she had tears streaming down her face. Raph gently wiped them away with his thumb.

"What's wrong, Em?" he asked.

Hannah was immediately struck by the amount of tenderness in his voice. Come to think of it, his whole demeanor seemed to have changed. His eyes seemed to have lost the fire in them as soon as the girl had called his name. She wrapped her little arms around Raph's neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

"There's a spider on my house," she said softly. Hannah had a hard time keeping a straight face. The little girl seemed so scared of a small spider, something that plainly showed on her face, but Hannah couldn't get past the fact that she was so _adorable_. Her large brown tear-filled eyes turned to Hannah, and the legacy-girl smiled.

"Aw, well, spiders aren't that scary," she said.

Both the little girl and Raph turned to her with the same incredulous eyes. And then she remembered that Raph was scared of spiders too. Hannah laughed slightly, then followed them up to the steps of the house.

She couldn't take her eyes off the scene before her. Raphael seemed utterly at ease with holding the little girl, as if he'd done it numerous times in the past. The way he spoke to her could only be described as loving. He acted like an older brother, Hannah could see it in the protective way he held the little girl. Emily whispered something to him, and he chuckled and tickled her. The little girl laughed, making Raph laugh too. Hannah smiled to herself. Raph would make a great father.

She felt the familiar pang in her gut that came with thoughts like that, but she kept the pain from showing on her face. She gritted her teeth and told herself to quit being silly. There was no use in thoughts like that.

The wood of the front porch creaked under her feet, and Hannah couldn't help but smile. There was something so archaic to her about the sound of creaking wood floors. The sound followed them into the front entryway of the house, even continuing when they stopped walking. Hannah stood and marvelled at the simple beauty of the whole place, but turned to the stairs when she heard someone pounding down them.

Leo sighed in relief as he caught sight of Raphael, his shoulders visibly slumping slightly.

"Oh, good, you found her," he said, stepping off the last stair. "One minute she was in the living room playing and the next she was gone. I've been looking all over the house for you." This last statement was directed at the little girl. "Emily, don't _do_ that to me! Your sister would kill me if you got lost on my watch."

The little girl – Emily – just giggled and squirmed, a sure sign that she wanted down. "But, I got Raffel. He's gonna kill a spider."

Leonardo laughed then, and it was a sound that Hannah had never heard the turtle make. It was warm, and comforting, and (she couldn't stop herself from thinking this) just a little bit sexy. He found her eyes then, and his smile widened.

"Hannah!" he exclaimed. "Hey! When did you get here?"

"Uh...just a minute ago," she replied, thrown completely off guard. She narrowed green eyes at him. "Who are you and what have you done with the _real_ Leo?"

The eldest turtle laughed again as Emily tugged him toward a room off to the side of the entranceway. "It's still me, I promise." He followed the little girl, leaving Hannah, Raph, and Donnie there. Hannah just stared after him, making both Raph and Don chuckle.

"There's something wrong with him," she murmured. "He was never happy to see me at the Nexus."

"A lot has changed since then," Donnie told her, leading them further into the house. "Namely, a little whirlwind we like to call Sloan."

"Sloan?"

Raphael nodded. "Emily's older sister, and the future owner of all you see." He gestured around them to make his point. Hannah nodded, understanding. As they approached a room towards the back of the house, Don suddenly put a finger to his lips and jerked a thumb at an open door. Beyond it, Hannah could hear a young woman's voice singing in a clear country twang.

"_You walked in shinin' brighter than a headlight, turnin' every head like a diamond in a coal mine,  
>had more punch than a Mississippi fistfight. Oh o-ooh, oh my my-ay.<br>Walked my way, took my hand, said 'let's go', had more game than the Mandalay Casino.  
>Thought I hit the jackpot, I was on a good roll. Shows ya what I know.<em>"

They found her standing by the old stove, singing along to the radio. She was dancing and twirling to the music, singing into a wooden spoon like it was a microphone. Hannah had to admit it – even though it was Country music, the girl was pretty good. The chorus started, and Hannah was even more surprised. The girl was _really _good.

"_Too good ta be true like diamonds on the soles a my shoes,  
>like money fallin' outta the blue, don't be fooled.<br>He ain't nothin' but too good to be real, don't believe the way he's makin' ya feel,  
><em>_he'll break yer pretty heart in two. Momma tole me 'bout boys like you, too good ta be true._"

Don suddenly cleared his throat, and the girl yelped and jumped so violently that the wooden spoon flew into the air. She barely caught it in her fumbling fingers and held it closer to her, blushing fiercely and glaring at the three of them with wide blue eyes.

"Donnie!" she exclaimed, and Hannah could hear the Southern accent in her voice. "Why'd you hafta go an' sneak up on me?"

"Because it was funny," he said, laughing when the girl slapped him on the arm with the spoon.

Hannah could see that Don had changed as well. When he'd been outside, he'd seemed a little distant. Maybe even a smidgen depressed. Now, however, he seemed full of life and mirth, like the mere fact that he was in the room with this girl made him better. Hannah studied her as she lightly chastised the genius turtle. There was something about her, something that made her freckled skin glow in the light of the afternoon sun streaming through the open windows. With the sun lighting it, her hair seemed to be on fire. She commanded attention, and respect, but seemed gentle at the same time. Hannah wondered if Don liked this girl, this Sloan.

Mikey careened into the room and almost slammed into Sloan. The only thing that stopped him was the spoon that she whirled around to face him. He skidded to a stop just before she whacked him in the beak with it.

"Hey, when's dinner gonna be ready?" he asked her.

"When I say it is, now get outta my kitchen!"

"Okay, but first..." Mikey went on, suddenly bending over to speak to Sloan's stomach. "Hello-_ooooo_! Uncle Mikey _wuvs yoooou_!"

Sloan rolled her eyes and dropped her arms, looking down and raising an eyebrow at the youngest turtle. "Ya done?"

"Just a sec," he answered, glancing up at her and then back down. He patted her tummy and continued in baby-talk. "Yes he does, _yes he does_."

And suddenly it hit Hannah like a ton of bricks. She had to steady herself against Raphael, who up until that moment had been leaning against the doorframe enjoying the show. He looked at her, concerned. Hannah looked from him to Sloan, wide-eyed, her gaze lingering on the other girl. Unconsciously, her own hand strayed to her stomach.

Sloan was pregnant.

Raph gently forced her to look at him, and she seemed to snap out of the trance she was in. She gave him a questioning look and mouthed "Who?"

He just shook his head, sadness and anger showing on his face. "Later," he mouthed back. Hannah nodded, not sure if she really wanted to know anymore.

"Alright, Mikey, that's enough," Sloan told the orange-banded turtle, rapping him gently on the head. "Any more and it's gonna come out talking like you."

"That'd be awesome, Sloan! We could call him 'Lil' Mikey'!"

"I am _not_ calling him that. Or her. Besides," Sloan said, turning back to the pot on the stove. She almost put the spoon back in, but looked at it. She'd hit two of the turtles with it, and it was no longer sanitary. She shrugged, threw it across the room into the sink, and picked up another spoon. "I'm not even sure if I'm going to keep it."

Again, a sudden insight came to Hannah, and she turned to Raph with raised eyebrows. His fist had clenched in his hand, and she forced her fingers between his. He squeezed, and she squeezed back. She had a lot to catch up on.

Just then, Leo strolled into the room. He made his way to Sloan, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her on the cheek. The red-head giggled and continued to stir the concoction on the stove.

"Hello," Leo murmured into her hair, making her smile wider.

"Hi," she replied, obviously trying to focus on her work.

Confused, Hannah looked at Don. He was watching the scene with slight sadness and something else. She had a hard time placing it, but Hannah thought it was a mixture of determination and resolve. She didn't know if Leo had stolen Sloan from Donatello, or if Don had ever even been with Sloan. It was obvious that he liked her – nobody looked at their "friend" like that – but it seemed that Sloan was with Leo. Hannah couldn't help but wonder if the baby inside Sloan was Leo's. Which led to her wondering if it was even possible for a human to concieve with one of the brothers.

Again she felt the familiar twist, this time more painful than the last. She actually doubled over and barely muffled a cry. She felt everyone's eyes on her, but she didn't want to see the concern and curiosity in their eyes. She really didn't want to talk about it at that moment.

"Hannah?" she heard Mikey ask. "You okay?"

"Fine," she answered shortly, straightening back up. "I'm just...tired. From the trip."

Unbidden, her eyes found Sloan's, and she tried to give her a reassuring smile. Sloan was having none of it, but she didn't say anything in front of the brothers.

"So, you're the famous Hannah," she said, smiling back.

Hannah nodded. "I take they've all told you about me?"

"Yes, I've certainly heard at lot about you." She gestured to Raphael. "'Specially from _that_ one. He's head-over-heels for you, y'know."

Hannah couldn't help smiling at the turtle by her side. "I know."

"Well then," Sloan went on, bowing slightly at the waist and holding her arms out. "Welcome to Valle Crucis, Unincorperated."

Hannah laughed. "I passed that sign coming into town."

Sloan snorted, turning back to her pot. "Community, more like. This place has no town hall, no stop lights, and everything revolves around the Mast General Store down the road. It is _literally_ a place time forgot."

"I like it," Hannah told her. "It seems like just the kind of small-town America that needs to come back."

Hannah nodded. "I'll agree with ya there. Now..." She laid her spoon down and turned to the entire group that was gathered there. "All a you, _go_! I need to finish, and you're crowding me." She turned to Hannah. "It was nice meeting you, and I'm sure Raphael can show you where you can stay." She winked.

...

Raphael set her suitcase down at the foot of his bed and immediately turned to Hannah. She'd closed the door behind them because she knew what was coming. Raph crossed his arms and stared her down.

"What the hell was that down there?" he asked softly. He wasn't angry, Hannah knew. Just concerned.

"Nothing," she tried. She looked away, hoping he would drop it. She reached down for her suitcase, but Raph intercepted her hand. He pulled her down to sit beside him on the mattress, turning golden eyes onto her.

"What happened with Sloan?" she asked him.

He sighed. "She, uh...she's gone through a lot. We got caught by the Purple Dragons, and she was there. She got us out, an' has been wit' us ever since."

Hannah nodded, suddenly understanding. She bit her lip before asking, "The baby isn't Leo's, is it?" She didn't ask it like a question.

"We all wish it was, even Donnie who's still heartbroken over the whole thing."

She suddenly felt sick. "And...and she's carrying it to term?"

Raph nodded. "She's a strong one, even if she doesn't know it yet. Leo's been helpin' her through it all, though. As much as I hate ta say it, she's in good hands."

"Leo seems happy about it all," Hannah noted. She turned away from him and rested her elbows on her knees, looking at her hands. "Sloan's really done a number on all of you guys."

"No..." Raph answerd slowly. "She's done a number on Don an' Leo. Mikey's still the same chucklehead he's always been. As fer me...it was dat lil' girl. The first night they were with us, she just...climbed inta my lap and said 'read me a story, Raph'. What was I supposed to do except sit there and read her _The Cat in the Hat_?" He sighed. "I've read to 'er every night since."

Hannah looked up at him, noticing his eyes were a million miles away. As she was looking, his eyes found hers. They sent the familiar jolt of electricity down her spine, and she leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. Again, she thought that Raphael would make a great dad. She could almost see how badly he wanted it.

She gasped as another spasm went through her abdomen, more intense than before, and this time she actually did cry out. She doubled over in his arms, which had loosened so he could hold her at arm's length and look at her.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly frantic. "Are you sick? Hurt? What?"

"Freakin' Hera," Hannah cursed. "She can't leave me be." She sat up slowly as the pain passed. She couldn't look at Raphael. He tried to make her, but she just turned her chin away, further frustrating him.

"Dammit, Hannah, what's wrong?"

She grimaced, steeling herself to finally tell him. She sighed. "Raph...You shouldn't be with me."

She felt him still beside her. "Why?" His voice was hard, and still Hannah kept her gaze on the floor.

"I..I can't...I live a dangerous life. I've killed monsters and cheated Death many times. Eventually, he's gonna catch up to me and there'll be nothing I can do to stop it. I'm not immortal, and neither are you." She finally turned to face him, her green eyes pleading. "Please understand, I just _can't_ hurt you like that. You need someone to protect, who will _let_ you protect them. I can't guarantee that I'll live longer than my sixteenth year. I could die before my birthday. Before September. I cannot do that to you, Raphael."

He slowly raised his eyes to hers, and they were wild in their fiery anger. "You think leavin' me now will keep me from gettin' hurt?"

"Its why I haven't told you 'I love you' yet." Hannah shrugged.

He suddenly grabbed her arms, grimacing. "You don't think I'd be absolutely _devastated_ if you left me? Do you know what I did fer the five months I didn't have ya with me? I wasn't there. I'd left myself with you, Hannah. I only started to get better after Sloan and Emily came around. That girl pulled me outta myself enough fer me to see the truth: _I can't live without you_. Hell, I owe my very _life_ ta Sloan."

"Wh-what?"

"She saved me. Took a bullet for me when we escaped. She nearly lost her own life in the process, but she's still alive and kicking. I realized if she could do it, I could too. I began ta live fer the day when I'd have ya back. And now that I do, I'm not lettin' ya go. _Ever_."

She looked back at him with tear-filled eyes. She wasn't a crier...but what he'd just said to her had her crying tears of bittersweet joy.

"E-even if I can't give you a family?" she asked softly.

Some of the intensity left his eyes to be replaced with confusion. "What?"

"If...if it were possible, I know you'd want a family. I saw you with Emily, and you're great with her. You'd make a wonderful father," she sniffed, then tried to ignore the pain in her stomach. Surprisingly, it wasn't too bad this time. "But...I can't give you that."

Raph just shook his head slightly, still confused. "What are ya sayin, Kid?"

Hannah took a deep breath. They had reached the crux of the problem, and she was dreading his reaction. "After Micah was killed, I realized I never wanted to face the pain or worry or fear of a child dying. It would be too much for me to bear. Each time I went on a quest, my parents always went crazy with worry. And each time I returned home alive, they treated it like I was the Prodigal Son. So, to make sure I never had to go through with it I...kind of made a deal with Hera."

"You...what?"

"I promised to stay out of her way and follow her rules if she took away my ablility to bear children. I can't have kids, Raphael. I will never be a mother. Each time I think about it, Hera made it so this pain shoots through my stomach. I guess she was hoping I'd eventually train myself not to think about it."

Raphael stared at her, realization coupled with pain written all over his face. His hands dropped from her arms, and she bowed her head slightly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "You deserve someone who can give you exactly what you want. Not a barren demigod." She hugged herself and stood, moving towards the door. She reached for the handle, but Raphael was across the room in two strides and slammed his hand against the door, holding it closed. Hannah looked up at him in surprise, stepping back slightly.

"Raph –"

"Did you conceive?"

"What do you –"

"Did. You. _Conceive_?" He asked again, emphasizing every word. "When we made love at the Battle Nexus. Is that why? Did Hera take the baby too?"

Hannah shook her head. "No," she whispered. "I didn't. If I had, I...I don't know what would've happened."

Raphael seemed to deflate then, and Hannah thought he was going to walk away. Instead, he gathered her up in his arms and held her tightly.

"What makes you think," he began. "I would leave you fer that? As long as I have you, Han, my life is complete. I don't need kids to be happy, you're all I need. I can't...I couldn't bear it if you weren't with me."

Hannah pulled back and looked up at him. "So...you're not mad?"

In answer, he smirked and lowered his lips to hers. The kiss started out slow, but built up to a near frenzy. Raphael's hands were halfway up her shirt and she'd already taken off his mask and had stopped at his belt when Hannah had finally broken away for air.

"I'm gonna take that as a 'no'," she said, smiling back at him. He kissed her fiercely again, pulling back too soon for Hannah.

"Say it," he growled."

Hannah tried to catch her breath and shook her head. Raphael grazed her lower lip with his teeth, moving down her jawline to her neck. "Say it," he whispered against her skin. He bit slightly, making Hannah gasp and cling to him. He moved back to her mouth, allowing himself to explore it with his own. He pulled back, taking Hannah's wrists in his hands and forcing them back against the door. He placed his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes. He felt her chest rise and fall rapidly against his own heaving bulk.

"Say. It."

"I love you."

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><p><strong>If y'all are curious, the lyrics are from the song "Too Good to be True" by Eden's Edge. I hope you guys are liking this, cause this chapter was fun to write. :) Reviews are always welcome!<strong>


	25. Revelation

**I LIVE! :D Sorry for the long wait, guys, summer classes suck...BIG time...meaning this is probably the last update I'll have before they're over with in August. Just bear with me, I'm still writing...erm...just snippets here and there...Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. As always I only own my OC's and the plotline. Enjoy, me hearties!**

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><p><em>"Pain throws your heart to the ground, love turns the whole thing around.<em>  
><em>No it won't all go the way it should, but I know the heart of life is good."<em>  
><em>~ The Heart of Life by John Mayer<em>

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><p>Sloan sighed as she put the final touches on the evening's meal, smiling as she turned off the last burner on the stove. She wiped her hands on a rag and went to call everyone for dinner. She left Don and Mikey in the dining room to set the table and went to find everyone else. Sloan glanced up the stairs and decided not to bother Raphael and Hannah. They needed some catch-up time. So, she instead walked outside onto the front porch to find Casey and April snuggling together on the swing (they had returned a few minutes prior and had taken their seats after unloading the Suburban). She let them know the food was ready, then went in search of Master Splinter. She found him meditating in his room. The only indication he gave that he heard her was a twitch of his whiskers.<p>

Sloan's last chore was to figure out where Emily and Leo had gone. Before dinner had been finished and after Raph had taken Hannah up to his room, Leo had gone to find Emily in the living room. So that was where Sloan was headed now. As she approached, she could hear them talking. She smiled when she heard Emily make a chicken noise, and knew they must be playing with Emily's farm toys. She stayed as quiet as possible, leaning against the door frame and watching. Leo was laying on his side beside her sister, while Emily held up animals and made noises.

"Mooo!" she said, holding up a plastic cow.

"Very good," Leo chuckled. He reached for the pig that came with the set. "What about this one?"

"Oink oink!" Emily giggled, then laughed harder when Leo _actually_ made a snorting noise. Sloan grinned from her hiding spot.

"Hey, Em, what does a lion say?" the eldest turtle asked.

"Rawr!" Emily growled and bared her teeth, throwing her arms around Leo's neck and knocking him back onto his shell. He laughed harder and caught her, tickling her sides. Once she'd calmed down enough, Leo spoke again.

"Did you know you're going to be an aunt, Emily?"

She looked up from where she was laying on his chest, brown eyes wide.

"Do you know what that means?"

"Sloan's gonna be a mommy!" she cried out, jumping off Leo. She twirled in a circle, then plopped back down beside him.

"That's right," he told her. "Sloan's gonna be a mommy."

Emily smiled up at him. "Are you gonna be a daddy?"

Sloan stopped breathing, wondering what Leo was going to say next, and her hands unconsciously went to her stomach. Over the past few days, she'd been doing some hard thinking. She'd noticed how well Leo got along with Emily, and figured out the obvious – not only would Leo make an amazing father, but he really _wanted_ to be one as well. Sloan didn't know if it were possible for it to happen biologically, but perhaps it might with the baby inside her at that moment. She'd considered asking him how he felt about it, but it seemed that her little sister had beaten her to the punch.

"I don't know," Leo answered, and Sloan could hear the sadness in his voice. He leaned over and mock-whispered to Emily. "You see, I want to be, but I'm not so sure that Sloan wants me to be. I don't know if she's going to keep the baby or not."

Emily giggled again. "That's silly. Why wouldn't Sloan wanna keep it? Doesn't she love it?"

At her sister's words, Sloan realized the truth. She loved the baby. Despite everything that had happened – the events surrounding its conception, her imprisonment, everything – she still _loved_ the child. As she thought about it, she could almost see herself and Leo living together, taking care of a child, raising it to be good and kind and wonderful – everything that Leo was. Sloan smiled to herself again.

She was going to be a mommy.

And she was _excited_ about it.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and knocked on the open door. Both turtle and little girl looked around with surprised eyes at her.

"Dinner's ready," she told them. "Em, go wash your hands, okay?"

"Okay!" Emily replied. She got up and ran past her sister, only to double back and throw her arms around Sloan. She kissed her stomach.

"Its okay," she whispered to it. "I love you, baby." And she was gone, leaving Sloan to stare after her in amazement.

"Sloan?" Leo asked. "Hey, is everything all right?"

"Hm?" she said, turning to face him. His dark eyes were on her stomach. She looked down and found her hands had once again found a spot there.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told him.

"Okay, just making sure," he moved to walk past her towards the dining room, but Sloan reached out and took hold of his hand.

"H-hang on," she said. "There's something I want to ask you."

"Okay, shoot," he smiled.

Sloan searched his face for a good while before steeling herself to ask the question that weighed itself on her mind. "What would you say to me...keeping the baby?" she finally asked. His hand on hers tightened.

"I-I mean, I see how you are with Em, and I think you'd make a great father. If anyone could do it...I think you could. Actually, I _know _you could. And I wouldn't want to raise a child with anyone else. So..." she halted, knowing she'd been rambling slightly. "I-I guess what I'm asking is...will you raise this child with me?"

Leonardo stared down at her with tears in his eyes, barely breathing. Sloan wasn't sure he was going to answer, and was about to continue, when he suddenly dropped to his knees and hugged her around the middle.

"Thank you," he whispered, and Sloan heard the catch in his voice. "Thank you _so_ much, Sloan."

She rested a hand lightly on the top of his head, and his arms tightened around her. Eventually, she kneeled and wrapped her arms around him as well. She was amazed at how tightly he clung to her, burying his face in her hair. She pulled back from him slightly so she could see his face. He smiled happily at her as she wiped the wetness from his cheeks. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. When he pulled back, Sloan stood.

"Come on," she said, pulling him up after her. "We'd better get to dinner."

...

The dinner table was quiet save for the clink of forks and knives on plates. Everyone was enjoying their Italian chicken and rice to allow for long conversation. Which meant that no one asked where Raph and Hannah were, for they were not present at the table. Leo had told Master Splinter that the demigod had returned, but even the old rat-master wasn't bothered by the fact that they weren't there.

"Mm," Don said around his mouthful of food. "This is amazing, Sloan. Where'd you learn to cook like this?"

"My dad was the cook in our family. He was always teaching me about this stuff." She swallowed her own food, laughing slightly. "He used to sit me on the counter and I'd hand him all sorts of stuff, and we'd try to make something edible out of it all."

The table stilled as they all listened. It was the most that Sloan had ever spoken about her family, and it had Leo curious. He set his knife and fork down, watching as Sloan reached across the narrow table to cut Emily's chicken up for her.

"Do you remember that, Em?" she continued. "He did the same thing with you, only it was with Christmas dinner."

"An' we set the stove on fire 'cause we left it on when we started opening presents!"

"It was Christmas takeout!" Both girls laughed, then Sloan fell quiet again. She put her hands in her lap and sat back, listening to the other conversations breaking out across the dining room. Under the table, Leo took Sloan's hand and squeezed it. She gave him a reassuring smile, which he returned.

"Hey, Sloan," Mikey said. "I found this, like, hatch in the closet in my room. D'you know what it is?"

The younger red-head's brow furrowed in confusion. "Maybe. I'd have to see it before I could give you a good answer, though."

"Wanna take a look after dinner?"

"I'm game if you are," she answered, glancing up at the clock.

"Should you be messin' around up there, though? I mean, with yer condition an' all," Casey spoke up from down the table.

"Casey I'm pregnant, not lame," she answered, making everyone chuckle. As she stood and took her dishes to the sink, Leo noticed that she hadn't eaten half of her share. He made a mental note to talk to her about it before everyone went to bed that night.

Mikey got up with her. "Let's go check out that hatch!"

...

She followed him up to his room, her pulse beginning to pick up at the thought of adventure. Mikey turned on the light in the empty closet and looked up. Sloan followed his gaze and reached for the string that was attached to the hatch. It looked like an attic door, but Sloan was having a hard time placing it. She hadn't thought the house even _had_ an attic. As she went to pull, Mikey suddenly stopped her.

"Hang on, dudette. We don't know how this thing opens."

Sloan stared at him. "You pull the string," she said matter-of-factly.

"No, like, if we have to unfold a set of stairs or if a ladder just comes sliding down." He stepped out from under the door. "I've seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation enough times to know to be careful with these things."

Sloan just rolled her eyes, but still took a few steps to the side as she pulled down on the string. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the stairs or ladder or whatever was up there to come sliding down. Nothing happened.

"Huh," Mikey said, shrugging. "False alarm, I guess." He moved to unfold the set of stairs, having to back almost out of the closet to get them completely on the ground. Dusting his hands off, he looked at Sloan expectantly.

"You first or me?"

"I'll go," she told him. She stepped around the orange-banded turtle and began to climb the stairs – more like a steep ladder. She made herself go hand by hand and foot by foot, just like her grandfather had shown her to climb a tree-stand all those years ago. The ancient wood creaked under her weight, and she cringed to think about how it would sound under Mike. She paused in her ascent to glance down at said brother.

"You go on," he said. "I'll come up once you get up there."

She nodded, preparing herself to keep going. But another voice made her stop again.

"Hold up, we don't know what shape the flooring is in up there."

Sloan looked over her shoulder at the closet door, where Leonardo was now framed. He looked up at her, slightly worried. But underneath that Sloan could see the curiosity starting to get the better of him. He wanted to see what was up there as well.

"You can come too, Leo," she said, grinning.

He sighed and nodded, waiting his turn to go up the ladder-stairs. Sloan turned her attention back on climbing and finally made it up. The attic room was surprisingly spacious – there was enough room for her to stand up straight. And the floors looked fine, almost brand new, a fact which she called down to her companions. They quickly joined her at the top and looked around.

There were boxes upon boxes of things stuffed everywhere. A large vanity table with a tarnished mirror sat against one wall, while a chest-of-drawers was situated against another.

"How could you not know this was up here?" Mikey asked her. "I mean...look at all this _stuff_!"

Sloan stayed quiet, something about the few pieces of furniture striking them as familiar. As if in a dream, she made her way slowly over to the vanity table. It was a dark brown, almost mauve, with too many pockmarks and scuffs to make it pretty. But, to Sloan, it was beautiful. She fell to one knee in front of it, her fingers automatically finding the deep notch in the wood where she'd accidentally carved into it when she was little.

"Sloan?" Leo asked softly.

"This...this was my mothers..."

The small space seemed to get quieter –even the wood seemed to stop creaking. Sloan closed her eyes against the onslaught of fresh memories that threatened to overwhelm her. She'd thought she had moved on from all the thoughts and memories of her mother. But, apparently...she wasn't.

_"Mommy!" Sloan cried, running into her mother's room. Annmarie Millar sat at her old vanity table. It was one of her favorite pieces in the room, as it had been her grandmother's before. She spun_ _in her seat as Sloan ran into the room, looking up at her mother. The curly-haired brunette smiled down at her six-year-old daughter. _

_ "Mommy! Daddy won't let me help him cook." _

_ Annmarie smiled. "Sloan, that's because he has something special planned for supper tonight." She leaned over and pulled Sloan into her lap, playing with her shoulder-length light red hair. "Your father," she continued. "Is making spaghetti, and he has a strict set of rules he has to follow with it."_

_ "But," Sloan answered, looking over her shoulder up into her mother's brown eyes. "I wanna help him cook." _

_ "And you will," Annmarie told her, kissing her lightly on the nose and making her laugh. "Someday." And she began braiding Sloan's hair. _

The floor creaked beside her as Leo knelt, putting his arms around her comfortingly. Mikey lowered himself to the floor on her other side, taking her hand. She took a deep breath and reached for one of the drawers of the vanity, pulling it open. Inside, she found a small wooden box with the name _Annmarie_ carved into it in an elegant script. She tried to swallow past the hard lump in her throat as she opened it. Inside, there was a long chain with a pendant on it that she'd never seen before. It looked like a Celtic knot, but the tip of each point on the knot had what looked like offshoots on each side. Something in her mind whispered the words _Open Triad_ to her.

Under the pendant was a photograph of Sloan's parents on their wedding day. Smiling slightly, Sloan pulled it out. There was her mother, looking radiant in her tea-length wedding gown, standing barefooted next to her father, Jack Millar. His blue eyes were smiling and his blond hair was blowing in the wind as he looked down at her mother.

Leo rested his chin on her shoulder, also looking at the photo. "She looks like Emily," he said.

"I know," Sloan answered. "And I look like my dad." She laughed slightly. "Mom was Irish-Italian, Dad was Scottish."

"Irish-Italian?" Mikey asked. "That's a little...different."

Sloan smiled and glanced over at him, shrugging. "You can't put parameters on love."

"No, you can't," Leo responded, kissing Sloan on the cheek. Mikey started making gagging noises.

"Ew!" he exclaimed jokingly. "Get a room!"

Leo chuckled as Sloan turned her attention back to the photo. She scanned the crowd behind her parents, grinning. Suddenly, the grin fell as she glimpsed something behind them that threw her off. No, not something..._someone_. She froze as she finally realized what she was seeing. And the sight of the hulking blond man at her parents' wedding threw her for a loop, for she had not heard Hun's words when he warned Leo of the Shredder's plan. She did not know that Hun had been friends with her father.

And something else was off about the picture. Sloan's eyes found her father's left hand, where it was holding onto her mother's right. There, just under the edge of his cuff, was the protruding end of a purple dragon's tail, tattooed onto his hand. Blood rushed to her head, pulse pounding in her ears. She didn't hear Leo and Mikey calling her name. All she could do was stare in horror and shock at the photo, the truth crashing down on her in huge waves.

Her father had been a Purple Dragon.

…

Six hundred miles away, Oroku Saki suddenly opened his eyes, coming out of his meditative state. He'd felt the familiar tingle of his spine that came with the feeling of the girl's – Sloan's – despair and anger. He grinned evilly.

He had her.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the cliffhanger...but I thought it would keep you guys coming back once I updated again ^-^ myaahhh I'm evil! (not really) Reviews are always welcome!<strong>


	26. Good and Bad

**Be happy! You guys are getting another update because I'm almost done with papers! :D I'm glad you guys are sticking with this for so long...I honestly hadn't planned on this story being this long, but I now have a definite direction I'm taking it. Before, it was just random ideas. Now?...Muahahah! Anyway, enjoy this chapter guys! As always, the disclaimer is the same as it's always been. **

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><p>"<em>Pain is alive in a broken heart, the past never does go away.<br>We were born to love and we're born to pay the price for our mistakes."  
>A Place Only You Can Go by NEEDTOBREATHE<em>

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><p>The photo dropped from Sloan's numb hand, falling back into the box. She couldn't believe it. Her father had been a Purple Dragon before he died. Her father, the police officer in charge of the PD investigation...it made absolutely no sense. She'd missed something – she'd had to.<p>

"No..." she whispered. "It...it's not a Dragon tattoo." She picked the photo back up, looking hard and close at her father's hand and shaking her head. "It can't be."

"Sloan –"

She thrust the picture into Leo's face, cutting him off. "You've seen enough of them. Does that look like a Purple Dragon tattoo to you?"

Leo stared at it, his face grim. "It...looks like it, Sloan. I'm sorry."

Blinking back unsuspected tears, she nodded and tossed the photo away from her. "I...think I need to be alone."

"Hang on, maybe –"

"Let me rephrase: I need to be alone _now_."

Shutting his mouth, Leo gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze before standing. Sloan heard him as he and Mikey descended the ladder and left her.

She sniffed, finally letting the tears spill over. She didn't make any noise, for she knew Leonardo was probably standing at the bottom of the ladder, ready to rush back up if he heard so much as a quiet sob. So she contented herself with staying quiet and trying to figure her father out. When he'd been alive (and a cop), he hadn't had the tattoo. She seemed to remember a small bit of scarring on his hand, where the infamous marking had been situated at his wedding, so the only thing Sloan could think of was that he'd had it removed. But, that still didn't explain why he'd left the Dragons and become a cop, hunting his former gangmates down ruthlessly.

However, in the months before his death, Sloan remembered him telling her family that he'd hit a bit of a snag in the investigation. There were no more leads, and if there were they were just turning into wild goose-chases. No Dragons were being found on the streets, something that, at the time, Sloan thought was a little strange. There were literally thousands of them in the city – the gang was one of the fastest-growing in three decades of gang activity. And then there were all the nights he came home late, with nothing to show for it, but still acting and looking like he'd just been on a long chase. That, and the nights where he didn't come home at all, claming he was working at the station on leads. Leads that were going nowhere.

Suddenly, the revelation hit her like a ton of bricks.

Her father had been leading all the chases himself...leading the rest of the force _away_ from the Dragons. He'd never really left them, just made it look that way so he could get a job with the police. He'd even moved to North Carolina to make it seem like he'd never been in the gang at all. That was where he'd met Sloan's mother, where he lived for well over fifteen years. He'd joined a police force, advanced amazingly fast in rank, then moved his family back to New York when he'd reached detective. He'd been a dirty cop all along, one that was being paid by the Dragons (for Sloan had always wondered at their higher style of living, seeing as her mother had been a teacher).

She took a shaky breath, too shocked to cry anymore. Her father had been a member of the same gang that had kidnapped her and her sister, that was running a slave-ring...that had allowed Sloan to be raped and tortured.

Sloan felt herself shaking, but not with sobs of uncontrolled sadness. No, it was anger. Pure _rage_ at the fact that her father's so-called _friends_ had allowed it all to happen to his daughter, that both of his daughters had been kidnapped and their mother killed in cold blood. But, she still couldn't understand why her father had been killed. He'd been the mole in the department for years, they wouldn't have killed him for passing information to the police. He _was_ the police.

In her rage, Sloan roughly threw the box back into the drawer and kicked it back into place with her foot, using more force than necessary. The entire vanity rocked back and landed with a loud _BANG_ on the floor. The tarnished mirror shattered, adding to the cacophony of the whole thing. Sloan grimaced, feeling oddly satisfied with the amount of destruction she'd caused. She stood, aiming to kick the drawers in, but something caught her eye before she could.

There, lying where the vanity had stood, was a small sealed envelope. It had been pressed flat by the weight of the furniture, but it was clear of dust and dirt. Sloan wondered how long it had been up there as she bent and picked it up. She turned it over to look at the front and almost dropped it again in shock.

Scrawled upon it was a single word, written in her mother's elegant script. A name.

_Sloan_.

...

Leo stood staring up at the ladder, feeling helpless. He'd come back into the room when he'd heard a loud noise, but when Sloan had called down that she was fine he hadn't moved to ascend the ladder to make sure. He was hesitant to encroach upon her again, even though he wanted to make sure she was okay. He wanted to protect her from all the bad things that happened, that _were _happening. But Sloan's whole world had just been crushed with the knowledge that her father had been a Dragon, and there was nothing he could do to help her. He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't even jump when Mikey placed a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon, dude," he said softly. "Just let her be alone. She needs to process."

Frowning, Leonardo allowed himself to be pulled away from the room. They went back downstairs and sat down in the living room, where Emily was already playing with the dollhouse April and Casey had given her so she'd have something to play with. Mikey promptly sat down on the floor and began playing along with her, much to the little girl's delight. Leo watched them for a while, noticing that the longer he sat there Mikey gradually lost some of his normal jovial attitude. Emily didn't seem to be her normal chatty self, she was much quieter and less hyper. Leo sat on the couch with his elbows on his knees and hands clasped at his mouth, soon falling deep in thought and analyzing just what had happened in the attic.

"Hey, Mikey?" he asked some time later. Mikey glanced up from the coloring book he and Emily had migrated to. "Did you notice that Sloan didn't look like either of her parents?"

Michelangelo's brow furrowed in confusion. "Not really. I mean, Emily's the spitting image of her mom, and Sloan kinda looks like her dad."

"But her eyes are much more blue, and she has red hair."

"Red hair is a recessive gene, Leo," Donnie's voice carried through the open doorway. The purple-masked turtle joined his brothers in the living room, tinkering with an extra Shell Cell. "Just because her parents don't have red hair doesn't mean she wouldn't. Her parents both had to carry the gene for it, which is rare but entirely possible." He looked up from the Shell Cell as he plopped down next to Leo. "Why the sudden interest?"

"Leo doesn't think Sloan looks like her parents," Mikey explained.

Donatello blinked, looking from his youngest brother to his oldest. "How do you know what her parents look like?"

"We found some stuff in the attic," Leo explained. "Mainly, a picture of Sloan's parents at their wedding." He swallowed hard, slightly surprised that Don was speaking so easily to him all the sudden. In the days since his outburst and the announcement of his and Sloan's engagement, things between the genius and the leader had been strained. Leo hadn't seemed to be able to forget the way Don had reacted so violently toward Sloan, a fact that the eldest turtle could see shamefully reflected in his brother's eyes, while Don had been almost hesitant to speak outright to his eldest brother. No more than a few words had passed between them at a time, but all of the sudden things seemed to have been fixed between them. Leo didn't know what had happened – if Sloan had spoken to Don about things – but he couldn't say he wasn't happy. His mind returned to the conversation at hand.

Don's eye ridges rose in surprise. "Really? I'll bet that was hard for her to see."

"Not really." Mike stood and walked over to the other two turtles. "Not until she noticed her dad had a Purple Dragon tattoo."

Again, the genius turtle's looked at them in surprise. "But I thought he was the cop leading the investigation?"

"He was," Leo answered. "But...I guess he was a Dragon before."

"Maybe he changed?" Mikey suggested hopefully, then chuckled. "Maybe the power of true love made him see the error of his ways."

Leo didn't share in the joke, and apparently neither did Don. The genius turtle seemed deep in thought.

"Em?" he suddenly asked. The little girl glanced up, then went over to Donnie when he gestered to her. He took her little hands in his.

"Emily, can you answer something for me? Did any of your grandparents have hair like Sloan's?"

Emily screwed up her face in concentration. "No, Gamma had white hair, and Grampa didn't have any." She giggled.

Leo couldn't help but grin. _Well, _that_ got us nowhere._

"Okay, answer another question for me," Donnie went on. "Can you tell me what your dad was like?"

The four-year-old frowned, once again thinking hard. "He was...tall. An' he always smelled like that brown stuff grown-ups drink."

"Coffee?"

Emily nodded, and Mike chuckled. "A man after Don's own heart."

Ignoring the youngest brother, Don continued. "Is there anything else? Was he always around, or did he leave a lot? Was he mean to you, or nice?"

"All of the above," a new voice said from the doorway. Leo looked up to see Sloan leaning against the frame, her cheeks and eyes slightly red and the photo back in her hand. She shrugged away from her spot and walked into the room, settling on the armrest beside Leo and holding out the photo for Emily to take. The little girl stared at it in awe.

"Donnie, my father was a _cop_. He would leave at random times because of his job. Depending on the day, he could either be extremely nice to us or absolutely horrible. Most of the time he just seemed pissed off."

Leo frowned at the hardness of her voice, but refrained from saying anything as Sloan continued.

"There were some days when he was great. He joked with us about stuff all the time. But, that was before we moved back to New York. Once he moved back to his native home, all bets were off." She sighed. "He kept spending more time at his _job_ than at home." On the word 'job' Sloan had used air quotes. "Little did we know he was really out leading his squad on wild goose chases."

"Wait, what?" Leo asked. "What do you mean?"

Sloan crossed her arms and levelled her gaze on the photo still in her sister's hands. "My father was a Dragon through and through. He was a dirty cop, sneaking info to the Dragons and letting them get away with the slave trade business."

Now Leo understood the edge to her voice – and it wasn't just her voice now. It was her whole demeanor. He could see the barely-contained rage simmering just below her surface of outward calm.

"Sloan?" Emily asked, drawing her older sister's attention. She pointed to her father's hand. "Why did Daddy color on his hand?"

Sloan smiled grimly and knealt before the little girl. "That's not...he didn't, darlin', that's a tattoo. He used to be in a...club."

Emily cocked her head to one side. "What club? Was it a secret club?"

Sloan nodded. "Before he was a policeman, he belonged to it. But, it wasn't a good club."

Emily looked down at the photo again, understanding slowly dawning on her small features.

"Was Daddy a bad man?"

Sloan bit her lip and suddenly enfolded her sister in a tight hug. "I don't know, Em." She sniffed, obviously holding in tears, and released the little girl. She stood and took the photo out of her hand, allowing Mikey to lead Emily off to get ready for bed. Sighing deeply, Sloan plopped back down on the couch between Leo and Donnie and held out a small sealed envelope to her fiance.

"I found this under the vanity," she said tiredly.

"Was that what the noise was?" Don asked her.

She smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I...kind of kicked it over."

Don shook his head while Leo was busy looking at the envelope. The initial shock at finding it addressed to Sloan was wearing off, and his rational mind told him that the elegant script probably belonged to Sloan's mother.

"I'm afraid to find out what it is," she told them. "But, that's my mom's handwriting. And judging from the type of paper and the smell of it, it's been up there a long time."

Leo passed the envelope back to Sloan. "Are you going to open it?"

"Eventually." She put it back in her pocket. "Not today though. Too many memories have been brought to the surface. I really don't want to stir up more." She lay her head on Leo's shoulder. "All I want to do now is sleep for twelve hours and try to forget the whole thing."

Leo's arm automatically went around her and pulled her closer. He didn't care about the fact that Donatello was still in the room, and (strangely) the genius turtle didn't seem to care about their outward display either. He went back to tinkering with the phone.

"Sleep sounds really good right about now," Leo yawned. He glanced at the clock on the wall and was surprised to find that it only read 9:00. With all the excitement of the day, it was no wonder he and Sloan were both tired. He closed his eyes and rested his head on hers, letting himself doze with the warmth of her in his arms.

...

Raphael lay on his bed, playing with Hannah's hair. It was longer than he remembered, but still just as soft. She rested with her head on his chest, fingers idly tracing patterns on his plastron.

"Do yer parents know?" he asked softly.

She sighed. "No, but I think they'd already resigned themselves to a grandchild-less existence."

Raph tilted his head and tried to catch her eye. "Oh?"

"Well, they knew I was with you, so..." She finally looked up into his face. "I guess they knew it wasn't going to happen anyway."

"They couldn't have known that," he replied, his hand trailing down to her bare shoulder. "Even I don't know if it's possible...it could have been." He kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Well, it's a moot point now," Hannah told him. She rolled over to lay on top of him and planted a kiss on his lips. He caught her face gently in his hands and kissed her back. He felt the now-familiar sensation in his lower extremities in response to her, and deepened the kiss.

Hannah laughed slightly and pulled back. "Hold on there, Red. Save that for later."

He sighed as she rolled off him and snuggled back under his covers. "Yer killin' me here, Kid."

She giggled, and it was all he could do not to throw himself at her again. So he contented himself with just laying there looking at her. After a five-month separation, he couldn't get enough of her. That initial kiss outside had awoken something inside him, and Hannah had fulfilled it. It had diminished somewhat in concern for her, when they'd been in the kitchen with his family, but as soon as he'd gotten her to his room he'd had to touch her again, as if to make sure she wasn't a dream. Even now, in the twilight of the room, he reached out and drew a hand down her bare arm. He pulled her closer, and she seemed to fit perfectly in the shape of him. She filled some missing piece he didn't know he'd lost. Nestled in the warmth of each others embrace, they began to doze.

Until Hannah's stomach suddenly grumbled loudly.

She groaned and blushed, hiding her face with the blankets. Raphael laughed at her, glancing over at the alarm clock on the beside table and noticing it said 9:05.

"Whoa, is it really that late?"

Hannah sat up to look at the clock, inadvertently pressing her body against his arm. He gasped and flashed back to that night on the roof at the Nexus, so long ago.

"No wonder I'm hungry," she murmured. "We've been at it for five hours."

He barely heard her, he was too engrossed in drinking her in with his eyes. Situated above him, she was set in profile. The light from his window was just enough to see her green eyes flashing in the darkness. They were the same eyes that had caused him to fall for her, eyes that could go from loving to battle-ready in an instant.

"I love you," he suddenly said.

She looked down from where she was partially perched on top of him, smiling. "I love you too."

"No, ya don't understand," he went on. "I...Hannah, ya hold my life in yer hands. Wherever you go, I go now. I'm done livin' without ya, okay? I want ya all to myself, forever." His arms tightened around her. "Do ya understand what I'm sayin'?"

Hannah lowered her lips to his and claimed them in a tender kiss. "I really hope so," she answered. "Because I'm not planning on going anywhere soon."

Raph rolled her over and continued the kiss, almost picking up where they'd left off earlier. But Hannah's stomach rumbled loudly again, causing them both to erupt in fits of laughter.

"Oh, I need food," Hannah said, sitting up and reaching for her clothes. Raphael grinned at the sight of her bare back, then made a playfully disappointed noise when she slipped her bra back on. In a flash, Hannah's hand whipped out and lightly slapped him on the chest, and he pulled her back against him and kissed her exposed neck.

"Lemme go," Hannah giggled. "I crave sustenance!"

Raphael laughed again and obeyed, reaching for his own belt and mask. Once they were both fully dressed, he held the door open for her.

"C'mon," he said. "I'd bet Sloan's saved us a couple plates a' food."

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><p><strong>See? There's some good in with the bad ^-^ Reviews always welcome everyone! :D Also, if any artists have been reading these stories...I'd like to see if someone could make a better cover picture for them...Mine are kinda suckish. If you do, I'll write a one-shot of whatever you want! Please? <strong>


	27. First Night

**Why helloooo there all :) Finally, summer classes are over with, I've got some time off work, and I'm back to writing before fall classes begin. So, in celebration, I give you all another chapter! *Fluttershy yay* So, as always, thank you to all my reviewers/followers/favoriters (is that a word? O.o) Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it! **

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><p><em>"And I'm here to stay, nothing can separate us<em>  
><em>And I know, I'm okay, you cradle me gently<em>  
><em>Wrapped in your arms, I'm home."<em>  
><em>~"Wrapped In Your Arms" by Fireflight<em>

* * *

><p>Leonardo came around some time later, immediately noticing the absence of warmth beside him. Donnie and Sloan were gone, and the room was dark. Rubbing his tired eyes, he stood and headed for his room. The clock on the wall read 2 AM, and he thought he must have been extremely tired to have fallen asleep so early. On his way, he passed Sloan's closed door. He thought about sneaking in to say goodnight – his hand was already on the door knob – but a sound from within made him stop.<p>

"Donnie, what's wrong?"

It was Sloan's voice, and it sounded worried...and _scared_. Leo's mind automatically went to her unborn child, and he barged into his fiance's room without another thought.

The first thing that met his eyes was an empty bed – even Emily was gone. Leo looked to his left, noticing the bathroom door was wide open and the light on.

"I don't know," Don's voice came through. Leo was starting to panic – Donnie's voice had taken on the tone where he was getting desperate. Fear for Sloan's baby rose up in his chest, choking him and making him see spots. Somehow, he managed to stumble to the doorway, catching himself on the frame and preparing himself to see the worst.

What met his eyes confused him at first, as his fear seemed to have cut off his rational mind. But, as it abated and he finally felt like he could breathe again, he realiced what was really happening.

Emily was crouched over the toilet with Don rubbing her back gently. Sloan was sitting on the edge of the tub beside them, her fingers clasped in front of her mouth, a dark spot of something on her pajama shirt. Her face was pale, and her knees bounced up and down nervously and he could see her worrying at her bottom lip, something Leo knew she only did when her anxiety was at its highest. Her blue eyes found his, and she grimaced.

"Em's sick," she said. "We're trying to figure out how serious it is. She can't keep anything down, even water."

Don glanced up at his oldest brother, but quickly returned his gaze to the little girl. He sighed.

"Sloan, I think I could make something that'll help. It won't be very strong, but it'll keep her hydrated." He looked at her. "In any case, you don't need to be around her right now. Go get some sleep."

"Donnie – "

"Trust me, okay?" The genius turtle tried to smile, but it didn't look convincing. "Besides, I know all you'd do it worry. I can help her." He jerked his head towards Leo. "Go with your fiance. I don't want you catching this."

Sloan nodded grimly, following Leo out. She didn't say a word as she grabbed a different shirt. Dimly Leo realized that Emily must have gotten sick on Sloan, but his brain didn't really register what that meant. He led her to his room, also not saying anything. He was too busy thinking. He didn't want Sloan sleeping on the couch, it wasn't good for her. She couldn't go back to her room with Emily there. Leo guessed he could sleep in the living room, but he wanted to make sure Sloan was settled in first. Finally, as he closed the door behind them, Sloan spoke up.

"I, um...I guess I need to change," she said hoarsely. He nodded as she stepped by him and into the bathroom between his and Master Splinter's rooms. She turned on the light, but didn't get the door completely closed. He tried not to look, but his roving eyes betrayed him. He watched her in the mirror. Her back was to it, and Leo almost gasped when she removed her shirt. The scars on her back stood out darkly against her skin. For some reason, instead of the sight of them making his rage boil, he was strangely attracted to her even more.

Which could only be a problem if he was supposed to stay on the couch. But even as he thought it, Leo knew it wouldn't happen. He suddenly didn't want her to leave his side at all. And with the way he was feeling, he knew he would do anything to keep her with him that night.

Leo looked away from the bathroom as the light clicked off. Sloan walked out a moment later wearing a light blue tank top, her old shirt wadded up in her hands.

"So..." she began slowly, throwing the shirt in a corner.

"Um...yeah, d'you w-wanna..." Leo stumbled over his words, then cleared his throat. "Do you want the bed, and I'll take the floor?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but instead took his hand in her own. She pulled him with her towards the bed.

Secretly, his heart sword. He'd wondered what it would be like to wake up beside her, but at the same time he worried about what it might lead to. He tried to keep the excited tremor out of his voice, and he had to clear this throat again.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, smiling slightly. "After the night I've had, all I want to do..." She stepped closer and kissed him lightly, wrapping her arms under his shoulders. He automatically held her back. "...is fall asleep and wake up in the arms of the man I love."

"Well, in case you missed it, I'm a turtle."

"Darlin', I don't care." And she kissed him deeper than before.

Leo suddenly broke away, breathing hard. "Wait, why the...intensity?"

She kissed his neck lightly. "Raging hormones?"

He shrugged. "I like raging hormones." He held her closer and kissed back. Something in the atmosphere _shifted_ between them, and suddenly Leo was pushing her back against the wall. His hands trailed down her sides, fingers slipping under the waistband of her shorts. She didn't stop him when he pulled them down, or when he lightly ran a hand down her leg and pulled it around him. Before he knew what he was doing, he moved from her lips to her jaw, her jaw to her neck. He felt her gasp as he bit down lightly on her skin. He pulled back and tried to make a last attempt at thinking rationally.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," he murmured softly against her skin.

Sloan just looked up at him, eyes drawing him in, before leaning in and claiming his lips in another kiss.

_Okay,_ he thought. _That's it._

He suddenly scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, laying her down gently and climbing on top of her. He kissed her passionately again, his hands skimming up her sides under her shirt, but Sloan quickly stopped him.

"Wait," she said breathlessly, a restraining hand on his chest.

"What?" he asked, slightly confused and frustrated. "I thought – "

"I know," she cut him off. "But...I don't...I thought I was ready. I thought I could handle you seeing me, and the...scars."

Leo exhaled in relief, happy it wasn't because of _him_. He shook his head and kissed her lightly, keeping his face close to hers. He suddenly had an idea.

"Take your shirt off," he told her.

"_Excuse me_?"

He smiled. "Trust me, okay? See, I won't look." He sat up and covered his eyes. "Take off your shirt and turn over onto your stomach."

He heard her aggravated sigh, but soon he felt her moving. Her shirt suddenly hit him in the face, and he chuckled.

"Okay, I did what you asked," she said. "You happy?"

Leo opened his eyes and removed his hand to see Sloan lying on her stomach, arms drawn in tight beside her and her fingers curled up against her mouth. Her long hair covered most of her back, and her eyes stared off at a spot beside the bed. Leonardo smiled and lightly brushed her hair aside, making her shudder.

"Yes," he answered her. He traced over her scars, watching as the hardness in her eyes slowly softened with each stroke of his hand. He removed it and replaced it with his lips. He bent and kissed all the scars, one hand resting beside Sloan's shoulder and the other curling around her fingers.

"I don't care what you look like," Leo told her between kisses. "I love you. _Every single inch_ of you."

She suddenly sniffed and turned her head to look up at him. Tears made her eyes overly bright, and Leo pulled her hand away from her mouth so he could kiss her.

"You really think that?" she asked softly when he pulled away. He reached for her shirt and handed it back over, turning around so she could put it back on.

"Of course I do," he answered. He smiled she he felt Sloan's hand on his cheek, guiding his mouth back to hers. He pulled her closer, one of her bare legs crossing over his.

"Even when I'm all swollen and fat because of the pregnancy?"

Leo actually laughed and kissed her on the cheek. "You'll be even prettier then."

She suddenly punched him lightly in the stomach. "Boy, don't you lie to me."

He smiled and kissed her again, and she seemed to melt in his arms. He gently pushed her back down on the bed.

"I'll never lie to you," he told her.

"Good." And the kiss she gave him almost made him lose his rational mind again.

"Sloan," he murmured, pulling away. "You're making it _very_ hard to keep my hands to myself."

Leo swore the look on her face could have melted metal. It was so full of heat and passion that it had him physically trembling. He didn't know whether it was from fear or anticipation or excitement – and frankly he didn't want to waste the time to figure it out. And Sloan's next words only strengthened the feeling immensely.

"Then don't."

…

"No way."

"I'm telling you the truth."

Raphael snorted into his plate of food. "You're tellin' me dat dis Chiron guy had you teaching? _You_?"

Hannah giggled back. "These kids...oh my gods, Raph, they wouldn't just shut up and _listen_!" She took a bite of leftover chicken and sighed in pleasure at the sensation it gave her tastebuds. "Mm, Sloan's a good cook."

"Yeah, I dunno where she learned it. Between her an' Mikey, we've been eatin' pretty good lately."

He and Hannah were sitting at the kitchen table early that morning, eating the leftovers Sloan had apparently set aside for them. Raph thought it had been about time for his girl to experience the joys of Sloan's cooking. It hadn't happened earlier though – they'd gotten a little sidetracked again, and hadn't emerged from Raph's room until 3 AM. It didn't bother them, however; they were just making up for lost time. So now, Hannah had begun to tell Raph about her five months at Camp in the process of eating.

"So," Raph asked after a while. "How're yer parents?"

She shrugged. "The same. Still in love after so long. It's kind of sickening, actually. I try to stay away from them as much as possible."

"Ya shouldn't hafta do that," Raph said, taking a swig of water from a bottle. "I mean, they're yer _parents_."

"And all the other campers resent me for it," Hannah replied quickly. "I'm the only one who gets to keep my parents near me. They don't think it's very fair."

"It ain't yer fault they don' have demigods as parents."

She shrugged again and stood, taking her plate to the sink. "In any case, I'm more independent because of it." She turned to face him, leaning back against the counter and crossing her arms. Her blond hair fell in her face, hiding it from his gaze. When she didn't say anything for a while, Raphael spoke up.

"What's wrong, Kid?"

"We've had to grow up fast, haven't we?"

He paused, her statement catching him slightly off guard. He knew she was right, of course. He and his brothers had basically grown up at the age of fifteen. He knew Hannah had gone on so many quests and fought monsters and cheated death enough times that she'd almost never had a childhood. It really took a toll on a person.

He stood with a sigh and walked over to her, resting his hands on her hips. She didn't look up at him.

"I mean, I'm only sixteen. You're eighteen. We shouldn't have the fate of the world resting on our shoulders. Most people our age are worrying about working and SAT scores and proms and...and..."

He pulled her close, resting his forehead on hers. "We ain't like normal people," he began. "We make the world safer for 'em, but...we can't do the same stuff. You _know_ dat."

"Yeah," she murmured softly. "But it doesn't change the fact that I keep thinking about what it would be like."

"What, you wanna give up all a' dis to be wit' some punk?" Raph joked as he lifted her chin and kissed her. She held onto it even when he pulled away, making him growl with desire.

"Okay, back upstairs," he said gruffly, making her laugh. He raised an eye ridge at her. "Ya think I'm kiddin'?"

She grinned playfully up at him and pushed him gently, then squealed as he suddenly lifted her up and over his shoulder, carrying her back upstairs.

…

In the end, Leo couldn't go through with it. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to – the mere sight of Sloan was enough to take care of that. There was something within him that told him to wait. When the time came, he wanted it to be special. He'd explained it to Sloan, and she'd been fine with it. In fact, she'd seemed a little more than relieved. So now, she was laying in his arms, playing with the tails of his mask.

"So..." she murmured. "When?"

"When what?" he asked, his voice slightly slurred. He was getting tired again. The hand that had been running through her hair was slowing.

"When we'll get married, I guess."

His mind snapped to attention at her words. "Well...when do you want to?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'd like to wait until I turn eighteen, but...I'll start to show by then."

Leo kissed her on the forehead. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well I don't want to be as big as a house on our wedding night."

He blushed as she kissed him deeply. He chuckled as she pulled back. "Why do we need to wait until you're eighteen? What does that matter? You do know that _nothing_ about this wedding is going to be legal, right?"

Sloan giggled. "Yeah..."

He pulled her close and kissed her again. "You're beautiful. You'll _always_ be beautiful."

She smiled seriously at him and pulled the blankets up to her shoulder. "Thank you, Leonardo."

And they drifted off to sleep like that, limbs tangled together in an embrace and foreheads touching.

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><strong>Okay, so a couple more "fluffly" chapters until the REAL chizz hits the fan, so...hang on with me for a bit. Reviewers will be given a free baby koala and a giant piece of lovely cake :D<strong> 


	28. Walk In

**I know...I know...It's been awhile. But, I have chapter 28 for you now. I know it's short, but that's because I'm sick, and sleepy, and I have to work tomorrow. I'd like to thank all my reviewers/followers of my story, I love knowing how much you all like it :) Hopefully, I'll have a longer chapter up soon...if I can shake this cold -.-. Anywho...Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"Hold on to me as we go, as we roll down this unfamiliar road<em>  
><em>And although this wave is stringing us along<em>  
><em>Just know you're not alone, cause I'm gonna<em>  
><em>Make this place your home."<em>  
><em>~Home by Phillip Phillips<em>

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><p>Just on the other side of the bathroom, Master Splinter was meditating. Something in the atmosphere of the house had changed that night, and he had a bad feeling about it. He hadn't been able to sleep at all. He'd felt the small disturbance in <em>chi<em> when Emily had gotten sick, but that wasn't the cause of his unrest. He'd heard Leonardo's and Sloan's voices in his eldest son's room, and resolved to have "the talk" with him the following morning. But, now was not the time to be worrying about any of that. There was an evil in the house that he'd suspected for a while. He'd initially felt it some time after dinner, when everyone was still awake. It had only gotten stronger as the night wore on. Splinter closed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the exact source of the problem.

Throughout the house, everyone was asleep. He sensed Hannah and Raphael in the red-banded turtle's room, Michelangelo was snoring away in his, and Donatello was staying with Emily in Sloan's room. Casey and April were blissfully unaware of the whole situation. The rest of the house was likewise quiet, all except for Leonardo's room. He and Sloan were asleep, but Splinter sensed the young woman's rest was fitful. The evil was targeting her. He growled in anger, sensing the one other spiritual energy that would have the power to do that.

_Shredder_.

The evil suddenly focused on and attacked him spiritually. But Splinter was _strong_. Quick as a flash, he drew the power into himself and forced the Shredder's evil away from the young woman and out of the house altogether. He waited, just to see if it would come back. He waited an hour, two hours, but it was gone. His energy had created a sort of force field around the house, keeping the Shredder at bay for the moment.

He breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed back onto the pillows, suddenly exhausted from the effort of expelling Saki's evil.

…

Oroku Saki cursed loudly, coming out of his meditative state for the first time in hours. The rat – that stupid _rat_ – had forced him away from the girl. He stood fluidly and punched through the wall, not feeling the wood and paper splintering under his hand. His hold on the girl wasn't strong enough to get an accurate reading on where exactly she was. The only thing he'd gotten was that she was south of the city somewhere. He gritted his teeth in anger, leaving his personal quarters to find a few expendable Foot ninja. He was angry, but he _would_ find the girl again.

After everything he'd set up, everything he'd gone through to make sure she was put in her specific situation, he wasn't about to let her slip away again. He had big plans for the girl, plans that required her cooperation. There was no other way to guarantee that than to try to reason with her. Saki had to explain the situation to her, and she would _have_ to see the sense in it. Either that...or he could threaten her.

Or her family.

Slowly, a new plan began forming in his mind. The turtles could not stay out of the city forever – they wouldn't allow it to fall to ruin. They believed New York was _their_ city, and they would return sooner or later to try and save it. But, they were wrong. New York wasn't theirs.

It was _his_.

He grinned maliciously and continued to the ninja training rooms. He was no longer angry – he just wanted the enjoyment of watching them squirm and beg for mercy under his hand. He chuckled with sick delight.

Those turtles didn't know what was coming for them.

…

Sloan awoke before Leo the next morning, blinking in the bright sunlight streaming into the room. For a while, she just laid there and watched him. It was a secret joy of hers – to see the "Fearless Leader" himself lose all invulnerability to sleep. He made a small noise and smiled, making Sloan smile as well. There was nothing for it – she was head-over-heels in love with him. No one else would have stuck with her for so long, or would put so much into making sure she would be all right. Nobody would ever protect her more fiercely than him.

Again he made a noise in his sleep, which was followed by him murmuring "Sloan." She blushed, amazed to find herself in his dreams. Leaving him to them, she rolled back over, her hand automatically finding the Open Triad pendant around her neck. She'd put it on upon discovering the previous night, and hadn't been able to bring herself to take it off. It was like a long-lost piece of herself that had been returned to her. Sloan's thoughts strayed to her current situation. Strangely, she felt more at peace that morning than she'd felt in a long time. Her fingers trailed over the metal in the pendant, tracing the patterns on it. A strange tingling sensation traveled through her skin and up her arm. She inhaled sharply, suddenly invigorated.

Leo snorted and lifted his head from where it rested on his arms. He rubbed a hand groggily down his face, unmasked gray eyes finding hers. Sloan grimaced.

"Sorry," she said softly. "Did I wake you?"

He grinned a little lopsidedly. "Nah, it's about time for me to wake up anyway."

Sloan chuckled, her voice slightly husky from sleep. "Well, I guess we'd both better get up." She made to throw back the covers, but Leo's arm snaked out and grabbed her around the waist so fast that she didn't have time to think. He pulled her back down and into his side before she could protest.

"I said _wake_ up, not _get_ up," he told her. He buried his face in her hair as she laughed, then covered her mouth to stifle it. He grinned and guided her chin up, catching her lips in a kiss. She pulled back before he could take it further, giggling.

"Stop, Leo, I have morning breath."

He kissed her again, lingering longer. "I don't care."

Sloan smiled, and this time initiated the kiss. She gasped softly as Leo suddenly deepened it, rolling over and positioning himself above her. He pulled back, leaving her breathless, and nuzzled her forehead.

"I like waking up next to you." He whispered, kissing her lightly again. Sloan laughed and pushed him off so that he landed on the mattress beside her. Again, he pulled her close under the covers.

"Can we just stay like this forever?" he asked.

"Not forever," she answered, resting her head on his shoulder. "But I think a couple more hours couldn't hurt."

They dozed peacefully in the morning sunlight, happy to just lay in each others arms. Neither of them said a word; they barely even moved...

Until a knock on the door brought them back to the real world. Without so much as another warning, Mikey came into Leo's room.

"Hey, Fearless, I was just wonderin' if you were gonna get up sooner...or later..." He trailed off when he caught sight of both Leo _and _Sloan in the eldest turtle's bed. They were looking at him, surprised, and he just stared right back with wide blue eyes.

"Uh..." he said. "I...guess I'll just come back later, then." And he quickly retreated from the room without another word. Leo and Sloan glanced at each other, then collapsed into a fit of laughter.

…

Mikey bolted down the stairs, trying to shake the image of his eldest brother and his fiance out of his head. It wasn't like he'd caught them doing anything _wrong_...it was just awkward to think about them being in bed together. He shook his head as he walked into the kitchen, plopping down at the table next to Donatello. The purple-masked turtle was sipping on his mug of coffee and reading the local newspaper. He looked a little ashen, but Mike didn't know why. Maybe he'd stayed up all night working on a project or something. The orange-banded turtle glanced around the rest of the room.

Casey and April were getting breakfast ready – or, rather, April was. Casey was trying to fix the microwave oven that had died on them the previous day. He was up to his elbows in it, various bits and parts strewn about the counter top.

There was a thump from the direction of the stairs, and Hannah and Raph came into the kitchen. She was laughing at something the red-masked turtle had said, while Raphael was wearing his signature smirk. They stopped by the counter, taking in what Casey was doing.

"Uh, Case?" Raph started. "I don' think you should be doin' that. What if ya break it worse?"

"Aw, shut it, Raph. I got dis." The burly man replied, not looking up.

Behind him, Hannah raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. "Raph, you lied to me."

Everyone's eyes swung to her, but she still kept her gaze on Casey. She set her hands on her hips, cocking her head to one side.

"He doesn't have a unibrow...and he's not _that_ hairy." She shook her head. "He doesn't resemble an overgrown monkey at all."

Raph blinked at her, glancing between his girl and Casey. "What...I didn't...Casey, I never – "

"C'mere, turtle!" Casey launched up from his seat and captured Raphael in a headlock, dragging him outside. Hannah watched them go, laughing at Raph's protests. As the door swung shut behind them, the demigod turned to April.

"So, you must be April O'Neil." She held out her hand.

"And _you_ must be Hannah," the older red-head answered, taking Hannah's hand. "Raph's told us a lot about you. And, it sounds like he's told you about us as well."

Hannah shrugged. "Yeah, but I thought I'd fudge the truth a bit to get Casey on Raph's shell for awhile. After almost 24 hours, I kind of need my space." She winked and smiled, then looked over at the table where the two youngest turtles still sat. Her green eyes lingered on Mikey.

"Whoa, Mike, you look like you've seen a ghost or something. What's eating you?"

The orange-banded turtle shrugged, deciding to mess with them all a bit.

"Oh, nothing much," he answered nonchalantly. "I just walked in on Leo and Sloan in Fearless' room earlier."

Don suddenly coughed on his mouthful of coffee, spewing it out on the newspaper he'd barely had enough time to hold up in front of his face.

"Wh-_what_?!" he spluttered.

Mikey and Hannah laughed, and April looked sympathetically at Donatello. "Aw, it's okay, Donnie. They weren't doing anything, just sleeping."

Don glared at him, folding up the now-soggy paper and standing. "I'm going to check on Emily." He set his mug in the sink, passing back by Mikey. "And try to see if I can get Master Splinter to help me with her."

Michelangelo hadn't been trying to upset his older brother, but he still couldn't miss the hurt look in his hazel eyes. He sighed and ran a hand down his face, uncharacteristically worried. His genius brother had been spending an increasing amount of time alone lately. Mikey had thought it would get better, but it seemed that the loss of Sloan (which Mike could easily the crush he had on her) added onto the arrival of Hannah was too much for him. There was too much "love" in the air for the Genius to handle right now. Mikey determined that he was going to check on Donnie the next time he got the chance.

It was then that Donnie's parting words registered with Michelangelo.

"Wait," he said, cutting off the conversation Hannah and April had been having. "What's wrong with Emily?"

"Don said she got sick last night," April explained, turning off the stove. "He stayed up with her all night to watch her."

_So that would explain why Sloan was in Leo's room this morning, _Mikey thought. He hadn't really wondered why she'd been there. He guessed it was actually about time for them to sleep together (since it only took Raph and Hannah a week). But, at the same time, Leo wasn't known for his spontaneity.

"Poor kid," Michelangelo murmured. "I wonder if it's safe to be around her?"

"I dunno, Mikey. I don't think you should chance it."

The orange-banded turtle shrugged. "Well, there go my plans for the afternoon."

Hannah suddenly smiled. "C'mon then, you can show me around the place." She took his arm and pulled him out of his chair, tugging him out onto the back porch.

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><p><strong>As always, reviews are welcome! *sneezes and collapses onto bed* Now to sleep... -.-<strong>


	29. Bonding Over Shoes

***gasps* OMG I _finally_ have another chapter written! I'm soooo incredibly sorry it took forever, but college and life got in the way (don't you hate that?) But I found time to update - in the middle of class, no surprise there - so hopefully you guys enjoy it :) Thanks to everyone who's reviewed/favorited/followed this story - you guys are awesome!**

**Okay, time for a little Hannah/Sloan bonding! whoo!**

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><p><em>"You'll never touch the groundis it a bllessing or a curse  
>And if you're too high to be foundare you lost or just rehearsed?"  
>Ten Mile Stilts by The Wailin' Jenny's<em>

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><p>When Hannah and Mikey returned from their walk, they found Sloan and Leo in the kitchen. She was making tea for them both, her attention on the stove in front of her. Leo was looking at the paper Donnie had discarded on the kitchen table.<p>

"I wonder what got spilled on this?" he murmured to no one in particular.

"Uh, dude, I don't think you wanna touch it," Mikey told him, chuckling. "Donnie spit his coffee all over it."

Leo jerked his hands back so fast that it looked like the paper had stung him. Sloan and Hannah laughed, but the older girl soon turned back to the stove. After a moment of contemplation, Hannah decided it was time for the two of them to get to know each other.

"So, Sloan, what's on the agenda for today?"

The red-head shrugged. "I dunno...I was thinking I needed to go through the rest of my mother's stuff."

"Hold on," Leo cut in, standing up. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea. After what happened yesterday – "

"I can handle it, Leonardo." Sloan glanced over her shoulder at him with a look that clearly said 'drop it.' He narrowed his eyes and sighed, but didn't say anything more on the matter.

"Well...you want some help?" the demigod asked. "I could watch out for you up there?"

Sloan glanced at her, a question forming on her lips. However, Hannah cut her off before she could say anything.

"Mikey explained everything to me earlier." She smiled. "Even about the furniture you knocked over."

Sloan grimaced. "Yeah," she answered slowly. "Anyway, I _would_ appreciate some help." She pulled the tea kettle off the burner and poured the tea into two cups, setting one down on the table in front of Leo.

"Let's go."

…

It was more stuff than Hannah had ever hoped to see in one place. She stared around at the things in the attic, trying to decide which box to start with.

"Now you see why I didn't refuse your offer," Sloan laughed, nudging her.

"How come you didn't want Leo to help you?" the demigod asked, sitting down in front of the closest box. Sloan carefully made her way over to the other side of the attic, where a large trunk was sitting underneath a set of dusty blankets.

"I don't think he would've left me alone," she answered, pulling the blankets off and coughing slightly. "He would have asked 'are you okay?' every five minutes."

Hannah laughed at Sloan's imitation of her fiance and turned her attention on the box in front of her. Conversation between the girls fell off as both became engrossed in her respective task.

Hannah only found pieces of outdated clothing in the first box, but still set it aside for Sloan and April to go through – they both seemed to like the more retro things. The next two boxes contained pots, pans, and cookbooks – nothing that Hannah thought was so pressing that she should disturb Sloan where the other girl was going through stacks of papers. However, it was the fourth box that held something interesting.

As soon as she opened it, Hannah smelled leather. She brushed aside crumpled bits of paper used for packaging to find a box full of shoes. Hannah methodically began pulling them out and setting them aside by pairs, making it easier for Sloan to go through them. Towards the bottom, she found a pair of strange black shoes that looked like they'd been through Hell; the leather was cracked, and the strap going across the front was nearly worn through. The soles were strange, as well. There was a strange looking apparatus attached to the front, and it and the heel of the shoe were made of a different material than the actual sole. Shrugging, Hannah dropped the pair onto the wooden floor, and they made a loud, hollow noise.

Across the room, Sloan's head immediately shot up and looked over at Hannah. "I know that sound." She set aside her own work and moved closer, her blue eyes finding the pair of shoes on the floor. Smiling widely, she picked them up and hugged them to her. Hannah just stared, trying to figure out why a beaten-up old pair of shoes were so important to her. She blanched as Sloan sniffed, realizing that the red-head was crying.

"Sloan," she began slowly. "I'm not trying to be a...well, like Leo, but..._are_ you okay?"

Still smiling, Sloan nodded. "More than okay, Hannah. I'm absolutely _perfect_!" She set the shoes down and leaned forward, reaching into the box further. "I wonder if..._aha!_" She pulled out another pair of shoes, although "shoes" was not the word that Hannah would have used to describe them.

They were no better than thin pieces of leather, with a criss-crossing of ties going all the way up the shoe. At least, that's what it _looked_ like they were supposed to do; at the moment, the individual ties were so tangled together that the shoes were just a large mass of knots.

"Um...what are those?" Hannah asked.

"They're called gillies," Sloan answered, setting them down. "And these – " She gestured to the other pair of strange shoes. "– are called hardshoes."

"And they're used for...?"

"Dancing," Sloan answered with a laugh. "These were my mom's. I wonder if I could fit into them..."

And Sloan proceeded to then put the "hardshoes" on and take a few steps, smiling impossibly more when they fit. Hannah could easily see how the hollow sound the shoes made on the flooring seemed to make Sloan happy.

"What kind of dancing would you do in these?" Hannah asked, picking up the "gillies". The hardshoes she thought could be used for tap dancing, but they didn't have the same metallic sound as the metal would.

"Oh, they're for Irish dancing."

Hannah blinked. Raph had told her that Sloan played Irish fiddle, but not that she knew how to dance. She almost asked if the older girl could demonstrate for her, but then her rational mind reminded her that Sloan was pregnant, and dancing was probably not the best thing for the baby.

"How long did you dance?" Hannah asked her, starting to work on the knots of the gillies. Sloan was still walking around the attic, enjoying the shoe sounds.

"For a long time," she replied. "I was almost done with training, and I could have taught if I wanted to." She sighed. "Until we moved to New York and I had to quit."

"Could you not continue with a different studio?"

Sloan shook her head and sank to the floor beside Hannah, setting her feet on the top rung of the ladder. "We didn't have the money to keep it up. Plus," she shrugged. "I didn't really want to start at a new studio with different costumes and customs and stuff."

Hannah nodded, only slightly understanding. It was a different culture, one that she didn't have any experience with, but she was trying. She focused on the knots again as Sloan removed the shoes with another sigh.

"Maybe I can show you guys eventually," she said. "I'm going to have to work off all the baby weight."

Hannah snorted. "You're already tiny. You won't have any baby weight."

Sloan laughed. "Thank you, I can only hope." She placed the shoes carefully in a pile of things that she was taking downstairs.

The blonde kept her attention on the knots in the other shoes as she tried to find a good way to approach the subject that was suddenly weighing heavily on her mind. Finally, after a long moment, she took a deep breath and spoke.

"Listen, Sloan," she began. "I...What are you planning on doing with the...the baby?"

The other girl paused in going through that first box of clothes. For a moment, Hannah thought she wouldn't answer. But, she did. And what she said threw the demigod for a loop.

"Keep it."

Hannah actually dropped the shoes in her surprise. "Wh-_what?_"

Sloan looked up at her shyly. "I...I already talked to Leo about it, and we decided to raise it as our own. I just..." she paused, taking a deep breath. "I don't see the sense in carrying it to term, and just giving it away." She held her hands out to accentuate her point. "And I refused to go through with an abortion. That was completely out of the question."

Hannah was once again thrown by how brave Sloan was. She knew if it were her in the other girl's situation, she wouldn't be able to do it. She couldn't carry her rapist's child, knowing he was still out there and probably committing horrible crimes. Then again, if it _were_ Hannah, the guy had been killed within hours of the act because she wouldn't have rested until justice was sought out.

In any case, Hannah found herself admiring this slight girl for her immense strength. She didn't show any fear of the future, if she had any; she even seemed _excited_ about it. She watched as Sloan put the clothes aside and turned to her.

"So, wanna tell me what's up with you?"

Hannah blanched, trying to act surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Yesterday, in the kitchen. Something hurt you, I could tell." She leaned forward, trying to catch Hannah's green eyes. "Want to tell me what's going on?"

"I already told Raphael," she answered, picking the knotted shoes back up and continuing with them as if the question was forgotten. But Sloan pulled the shoes out of her hands and wouldn't let it go.

"Are you sick? Hurt? Pregnant yourself? What's going on?"

Suddenly, another pain passed through Hannah's stomach, this one the worst she'd ever felt. She cried out loudly and doubled over, tears of both physical and emotional pain flowing freely down her face. And they just kept coming, not letting up at all. She was barely aware of Sloan's hand on her back, her concerned words in her ear. She cried out again, and it turned into a sob as she slowly fell to the side, curling into a ball and losing herself in her pain.

…

Sloan hurried down the ladder as fast as she could go, calling for Raphael. The others answered her, asking what was wrong, but she was too engrossed in her task to pay them any attention. She finally found him outside on the back lawn, wrestling with Casey in the grass. She called for him, but he either couldn't hear her or was ignoring her. So, she made her way down the back steps and approached the muscled testosterone–filled mass and grabbed Raphael by the back of his mask and dragged him off Casey.

"Owowowowow _ow_!" he exclaimed as she pulled him quickly towards the house. "What da hell? Where's da fire, Sloan?"

"Upstairs with your girlfriend," she answered. "Who is currently lying in a fetal position because she's in pain."

_That_ lit a fire under the red-masked turtle. Sloan released him as he bolted inside and ran upstairs, taking them two at a time. Sloan hurried after him with Casey in tow.

"What's goin' on?" he asked.

Sloan shrugged. "I'm not sure, but Hannah's upstairs in pain and she wouldn't tell me what was really going on. I thought Raph would be able to help more than I could."

"Hope nothin's too serious," Casey murmured, following her into the living room.

"Me too."

…

"Han?" Raph called from the bottom of the ladder. He began to climb up quickly, actually slipping off the steps a couple times in his haste. "Hannah, where are you?"

A barely-audible whimper met his ears as he reached the top of the ladder. Hannah was still curled in on herself, her hands clenched into fists and pressing against her stomach. Her face was flushed, and tears fell unnoticed from her closed eyes. She whimpered again, and Raph was instantly by her side. He pulled her into his lap and held her tightly.

"Han, talk ta me. What's happenin'?"

"It's...it's Hera..." she managed weakly. "But, it isn't...going away this time." She curled into him, silent tears of pain falling onto his skin. He could feel his anger rising, both at Hera and at Hannah's stupidity at allowing herself to live with the situation.

"This...it...it can't go on like this. We need to talk to her and see if she'll stop it."

"She won't."

"Why tha hell not?!" he exclaimed, frustration and helplessness showing through. Hannah reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face, instantly calming him down and softening his gaze. He saw the fear in her own eyes, finally realizing that she understood it about as well as he did (which wasn't very well).

"Because she's Hera," Hannah replied, just before her hands dropped and she passed out from pain. Raphael spent about five seconds trying to wake her up before finding it to be no use.

"DONNIE!"

Half and hour later, Hannah was lying in Raphael's room, pale and ashen. Sweat condensed on her forehead and neck, and she grimaced and tensed in her sleep every time a pain shot through her. Raph sat by her side, a cold cloth pressed against her face because he didn't know what else to do. Across the bed, Donatello was finishing his initial exam of the demigod.

"Raph, I..." he began gruffly. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to help her."

The red-masked turtle's eyes flashed angrily, but he remained quiet, waiting for the genius to continue.

"I mean, if I understood more of her physiology and chemical biology, I _might_ be able to discern what medicines to give her. But...if I recall correctly, one of the only medicines demigods can have is ambrosia. And we don't have any."

"Check her bags," Raph commanded. "She might have some."

"Okay, but," Don answered slowly, obviously trying to keep Raph calm. "If it _were_ able to help...don't you think she would have taken some earlier to stop it?"

Raph stood up angrily, rising to stand his intimidating three inches above his younger brother. "What are ya sayin', Donnie?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea to try and burn through her small supply if we're not sure it'll help."

Raph sat back down with a grunt, once again at a loss for what to do. "I..I know, Don. I just...I feel like a failure fer not helpin' 'er. I couldn't protect her when she...she made that _stupid_ deal, and who knows how long she had ta live with it before she came here."

Donatello looked grimly at his older brother, walking around the bed to grip his shoulder in a comforting way. Raph had explained to him what was going on, so Donatello now knew Hannah's situation and the circumstances leading up to her decision.

"We'll figure something out," he told Raph. "Maybe get ahold of Poseidon and see if he can help sway Hera at all."

Raphael leaned forward and took one of Hannah's hands in both of his own, resting his head on it. He didn't hear Donnie leave, didn't pay attention to the passing moments. He just sat there, silently begging Hannah to get better and to forgive him for failing to protect her. He cursed Hera for doing this, and pleaded with any other gods up on Olympus to help the demigod he loved.

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><p><strong>Welp, there we go :) I should be able to update more often in the next couple months...hopefully...Anywho, I'm glad you all are sticking to this story! Reviews are welcome to all (ALL of you! 0-0) Byes!<strong>


	30. Raph Pisses Off A Hippie

**HIIIIII! So, here's chapter 30! I was looking at "Turtles of Olympus", and I realized that I have surpassed the number of chapters in that story! (Actual chapters, not that playlist at the end). I feel accomplished ^-^. So, we're about to hit our busiest time at work, and my school is about to really heat up, so I'm honestly not sure when I'll be able to update again. I'm still writing it, just not on the computer...more like in the margins of my notes for school o.o...AAAaaaanyway, thank you all for favoriting/reviewing this story! And I'm still looking for someone to create cover art for this story and "Turtles of Olympus"...**

**Seriously, just the bland words is kind of sad for me...**

**PS: Sliver-09 gets bonus points for getting Hera's Roman name right off the bat. Someone knows their Greek and Roman mythology...or "Heroes of Olympus" series (Mark of Athena comes out Oct 4th! :D) Anyway, enjoy the story!**

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><p><em>"But that's just the price I pay, destiny is calling me<br>Open up my eager eyes, Cause I'm Mister Bright Side."  
>~Mr. Bright Side by The Killers<em>

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><p>He waited until it was dark, when he knew everyone else was asleep. He'd made himself wait that long, and he could put it off no longer. He reached into Hannah's bag and pulled out a golden drachma, making his way into the bathroom and steeling himself for what he was about to do. He could handle talking to her parents...it was her <em>grandparents<em> that he was worried about. He closed the bathroom door behind him and turned the shower spray on. He wasn't exactly sure how it was supposed to work; Hannah had explained it to him at one point, but he couldn't remember now. He was just going with his gut at this point. Hoping his hunch was right, he tossed the coin into the spray.

Imagine his surprise when the coin simply _vanished_.

He blinked a couple times, looking around in the bottom of the tub to see if he'd just missed it somewhere. Suddenly there was a loud _click_, and he jumped back and fell onto his backside.

"_Iris Rainbow Calling Service_, _how may I direct your call?_" a cool, professional voice asked.

"Uh...um...Poseidon. I need to speak ta Poseidon." He'd recovered enough from his surprise to be able to talk.

"_Hm,_" the voice replied, echoing slightly in the small, tiled room. "_Getting in touch with the gods won't be easy. I can't guarantee you he'll answer_."

The tone of her voice had Raphael suddenly imagining a floozy-looking secretary at a switch board, doing her nails as she spoke with him.

"Listen, lady," he began, irritated with her. "Dis is important. I don' care about yer problems or if yer brakin' any stupid rules. I – "

"_Do you know who you're talking to?_" The voice screeched. Suddenly, a picture formed in the water, and Raph was face to face with an angry-looking hippie. Her eyes were wide behind her purple-tinted John Lennon glasses, and her dark hair flew about her head wildly.

"_I am Iris!_" she shouted. "_And I will _not _stand to be treated this way! You can forget it if you think I'm..._" Her voice trailed off as she got her first look at Raphael, and the anger melted away.

"_Oh dear,_" she began. "_I...I'm sorry. It's...it's _you. _You're...with Hannah._"

Raphael blinked. "Uh...yeah. I am. Can..." He paused, still taken aback by the hippie-god's sudden change of heart. "Can I talk to Poseidon? Please?"

Iris grimaced. "_This is about Hannah, isn't it?_"

Grimly, Raphael nodded.

"_I'll get him for you_." She turned around and began to fiddle with what looked like a fountain, and Raphael soon heard her conversing with someone he couldn't see.

"_Yes sir, he's on the other line. I'll transfer you._"

The picture changed and Raph was looking into the weathered face and green eyes of the sea-god himself. His hair was flowing around his head, as if he were underwater.

"_Hello, Raphael_," he greeted the red-masked turtle. "_What's happened?_"

Raph opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly his voice was gone. Nothing came out but a strangled croaking sound. The god waited patiently for him to go on, but he couldn't. He shook his head, then dropped it.

"_Raphael, I know. I've been approached by my brothers about her._"

"Your...brothers?"

Poseidon nodded. "_Zeus and Hades_. _I'm sure Hannah has told you about the 'Big Three'. That's us._"

Raph nodded as if he understood. "But...you know what's going on with her?"

Again, the god nodded. "_I've only recently found out about her deal with Hera._" Poseidon's eyes narrowed as he said the goddess' name, and Raph found himself growing angry as well.

"_I've already talked to her. Hopefully she'll see reason enough to stop the pain._"

"Thank you, sir," Raph told him, emotion threatening to enter his voice. "I...I should probably get back to Hannah."

Poseidon smiled his signature eye-crinkling smile. "_You do that. It was nice talking to you, Raphael_."

"You too, sir."

…

Hannah groaned and opened her eyes, immediately noting how dark the room was. She looked around, confused as to why Raphael was sleeping in a chair beside the bed and why there was a shining goddess in the room.

Hera was standing at the foot of her bed, her aura lending a soft light to the entire space. The demigod immediately looked back to Raphael, who was snoring quietly, and marveled at how he was still asleep. He was a _ninja_, for Zeus' sake.

"Don't worry. He won't wake up," Hera told her, the tone of her voice echoing through the room.

Hannah narrowed her eyes at the goddess. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice hoarse. "Have you come to gloat?"

"Such manners," Hera _tsk_ed. "I was sent here."

"Uh huh." Hannah didn't believe a word of it. "By who?"

"Your grandfather." The goddess walked slowly over to the bedside table and picked up one of Raphael's sais, examining it. "Seems that he received a call from your family, and they begged him to get me to relieve you of your curse."

The demigod didn't believe her. She couldn't see _any_ of her family members begging on her behalf. Least of all to _Hera_. It was more likely that her grandfather or one of her great-uncles talked to the mother goddess about her.

Or her grandmother. Athena could be _very_ persuasive when she wanted to be.

And scary.

And then Hannah's eyes went suddenly wide as she realized that the intense pain in her stomach had disappeared. Her hands went to her lower abdomen, her eyes asking the question she couldn't seem to voice.

"The damage, however, is irreparable. You will forever be barren." Hera set down the sai, actually sounding _bored_. "But you will no longer have any pains to deal with."

Even though she was slightly angry at Hera's indifference, she realized the mother goddess _hadn't_ had to take away her pain. So, she thought she might as well show a little gratitude.

"Thank you."

Hera waved it off. "Your grandfather wouldn't leave me alone until I took it away. Don't thank me. Just stay out of my hair, legacy."

And with that, she vanished.

Hannah flopped back down against the pillows with a sigh. Just as Raph snorted and awoke.

"Whasswrong?" he mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

Hannah couldn't help herself – she giggled. "No more pain. That's what."

Raph sat up straighter, fully awake. "Seriously? How?"

"The cursee herself..." Hannah told him, her voice growing hard. "She showed up and told me that she took it away."

Raphael sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled her close. "Thank God," he breathed.

Hannah snuggled closer to him. "But," she began. "I still can't have children."

"I already told you, I don't care about that. As long as you're not in pain, I'm happy."

Hannah grinned mischievously. "Then why are you sleeping in that chair, Red? Come here."

…

The next morning had Sloan waking up in her own bed beside her sister. Donatello had deemed it safe, since Emily had gone a full 24 hours without getting sick. He figured she'd only contracted a small bug.

Which meant that they were all at risk for getting sick, everyone except Sloan. The pre-natal vitamins that Don had her taking boosted her immune system so much that it was almost virtually impossible that she would get sick. They also made her skin shine with a healthy glow and her hair shiny and thick.

Sloan stretched and threw the covers back, planning for a full day. She dressed and brushed her teeth and made her way to the kitchen. Even though it was early, she still expected the brothers to be awake and about. But the kitchen was empty. She guessed they were all just sleeping in, though she knew they'd have to get back to their normal routines at some point. They'd been at the Valle Crucis house a month, and the first of June was fast-approaching. She didn't know how much longer they would stay, but she knew that they couldn't keep living on April's, Donnie's, and Mikey's incomes for the rest of the summer.

She reached into a cabinet to get her herbal tea, and gasped as her stomach hit the counter sooner than she'd been expecting. Her hands found her stomach, where she was just beginning to show. Unless you were really paying attention, you wouldn't notice it at all. Feeling the baby bump under her fingers, she sighed. Only six months left to go, according to her doctor and Donatello. They both told her that her symptoms developed late – the morning sickness, the slight irritability, etc. She bit her lip, thinking about the future, and about how much she needed to provide for her child.

So, Sloan was planning on walking down to the main road and searching for a job. She wasn't sure how she was going to explain her lack of parents, or a driver's license, or even a permanent address. Her only hope was to find a place that dealt with paying cash and asked very few questions. Luckily for her, Valle Crucis was so small that there were plenty of places to look. So, with her tea finished and her hair pulled back, Sloan made her way outside.

She wasn't halfway down the front steps before Hannah burst out of the front door.

"Hold up, Sloan, where are you going?"

"Job-hunting," she replied. "Are you feeling better?"

Smiling, the demigod nodded. "Much. Mind if I tag along?"

Sloan shook her head, also grinning. Maybe they both could find a job. "Will you be all right away from Raphael?"

Hannah giggled as they made their way down the driveway. "Please. I've been with him so much these past few days I'd be safe for a week."

Sloan laughed as well, falling into step beside the taller demigod. They made their way down the long driveway, soon coming to the main road.

"So where are we gonna start looking?" Hannah asked.

Sloan shrugged. "There's a couple of horse stables that might be promising, and the general store maybe...but they're a big corporation so under-the-desk cash may not be a suitable method of payment."

Hannah snorted in derision. "_Tch_. I can take care of that."

…

Donatello was going crazy.

At least, that was what it felt like to him. There was no internet, no contemporary technology, and no computer besides the ones that he brought. And he couldn't work with them because there was no _internet_. It was a vicious cycle.

The only things that saved him were his coffee and the old truck in the barn. These were currently occupying his time, seeing as there was no-one sick to treat or no technology to tweak or anything to invent to better the household.

Well, that wasn't true. He'd had a few ideas to make things like the dishwasher and the laundry machines run better, but there weren't enough extra parts around for him to use. So, he spent his days drinking a thermos of coffee per day and fixing the truck. It was there that Mikey found him.

"Hey, Donnie, whatcha doin'?"

Donatello had a hard time holding back both his smart reply and a curse as he nicked his hand on a piece of the old engine. Shaking the pain out, he kept his eyes on the engine. "What does it _look_ like I'm doing, Michelangelo?"

"Well, workin' on that truck, _duh_!"

"Then why did you fricking _ask_?"

When Mikey didn't answer, he finally looked up. The youngest turtle's blue eyes were hurt, but he was still leaning nonchalantly against the door frame. Instantly, he felt the guilt swell deep in the pit of his stomach.

"Oh, uh...Mikey, I'm – "

He noticed how his brother's gaze drifted to the empty coffee thermos. "Dude, maybe it's time to switch to decaf." And he turned and left.

Sighing through his nose, he slowly dropped his forehead to the car's frame. He banged it lightly against the metal a few times, silently cursing his stupidity and the caffeine headache that he wasn't making better. He threw his tools a little too forcefully into their box and followed Mikey.

The orange-banded turtle had already made his way back into the house, and Don made his way quickly up the back porch steps. He entered through the back door, into the kitchen, to find Mike quietly conversing with Leo. When he caught Donnie's hazel gaze, he fell silent and left the room. Leo, however, was anything but.

"Mikey, um..." he began, walking over to his younger brother. "Mike told me what happened."

"Yeah, I'm..." Don ran a hand over his suddenly-tired eyes. "I guess I'm just a little frustrated up here, Leo. There's nothing to really occupy my time, no inventions or anything." He laughed humorlessly. "I guess you could say I'm intellectually stifled."

Leonardo gave him a small smile and gestured to the coffee pot. "I'm sure the...'stimulation' from the caffeine isn't helping much at all, either."

"No, I guess not."

"Listen," Leo went on, putting a hand on the purple-masked turtle's shoulder. "Why don't you try something for me. We're here to escape the Shredder, but we're also here to relax a little. There's no work for you to do, nothing for you to fix...except for that truck out there."

Donnie grinned. "It's coming along nicely, too."

"Maybe you could try weaning yourself off the coffee, see if you can't get by without it. It can only help you."

Donatello thought long and hard about it. Numerous times over the years, he'd tried to drink less and less of his liquid gold, and each time he'd been met with failure. Awful, relapsing failure. But if there were ever a time to try again, it would be now that there was no work or invention that would take up his time or cause him to need his coffee.

"All right," he agreed. "I'll try...again."

Leo smiled wider, no doubt remembering all the times Donnie had just thought about. "That's all I ask. Now, you _may_ want to go and apologize to Mikey, now. He was really hurt by what happened."

Donnie nodded and stepped back, heading to his younger brother's room. He found him lying on the bed, staring up at the ladder to the attic (which they had yet to fold back up), absentmindedly petting Klunk.

Don hesitantly knocked on the open door. "Hey, Mikey."

Michelangelo grunted his greeting. Donnie made his way into the room and sat in the desk chair near Mikey's bed.

"Listen bro, what happened out in the barn...I didn't mean it Mike. I'm just frustrated with the lack of tech in this place, and it's getting to me. I'm sorry."

Mikey was silent for a few moments, only moving his gaze to the ceiling. Curled on his chest, Klunk meowed and nudged his hand to encourage more petting. Donatello almost thought he wasn't going to answer, but eventually he did.

"Leo's makin' you go off the coffee, huh?"

Don chuckled. "He's not making me, I agreed with the plan."

Finally, his brother looked at him. "You think it'll stick this time?"

"Hopefully until we get back to the city."

Michelangelo pushed Klunk off and sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the mattress. He clapped Don good-naturedly on the shoulder and grinned.

"I knew you weren't really mad at me, bro," he said. "But, seriously. You _totally_ need to switch to decaf."

Don laughed and caught Mikey in a headlock, laughing along with him and giving him a playful noogie.

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><p><strong>Yay! Review o-o<strong>


	31. Surprise Call

**HIIIIII! So, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news first: This is the second-to-last chapter. I know it's been a long ride, and these last few chapters seem like filler, but here's the good news - I'm going to start part three either before or on Halloween (seeing as it's a kind of Halloween-y story (: ) so, this isn't the last of Sloan at all. I'm so glad you guys have liked this so much, and be looking for part three soon, kay? **

***Bear in mind that when I say "thermos", I mean one of those 24 oz thermoses of doom here. Okay, here we go.**

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><p><em>"Feelin' mighty fine, feelin' mighty fine at this time<br>Yes I am."  
>~Mighty Fine Blues by The Eels<em>

* * *

><p>A week passed...then another...and another...June was in full swing, and the small family had slowly settled into a routine.<p>

When Sloan and Hannah weren't working at the local horse stable, they were normally otherwise occupied. Sloan had taken to cleaning out the attic, and Hannah often liked to explore the surrounding areas with Raphael and Mikey. If they had had a particularly stressful day, they rarely talked to anybody and went straight to their "tasks." Sloan could be heard throughout the house tossing things about in the attic, trying to bring some sort of semblance of order to the room. She often threw unwanted things down the ladder, making a satisfying cacophony of noise as she did so. In the three weeks since discovering it, she'd almost cleaned it out. She'd found two boxes of her father's old clothes, which she hadn't really had the heart to go through. She'd also found boxes full of files, in which she'd found all of hers and Emily's important documents – shot records, Social Security cards, school transcripts, everything. Which would come in handy when Emily started school in the fall.

Sloan had started wearing her mother's old clothes. They were a little big, but they hid the growing baby bump well. She knew she wouldn't be able to hide it for long, and she often wondered why she _was_ trying to hide it, but something was urging her to keep it under wraps until she felt better about it. It wasn't as if she was regretting her decision; she just didn't want to see her friends' and her fiance's sad looks when they saw it.

A lot of what she'd found she cleared away to make more space. There was a large amount of open floor now, and Sloan had categorized and gathered the boxes together in their respective corners.

Meanwhile, Hannah was often found near the pond in the woods. She practiced with _Anaklusmos_ often, but she also worked with her powers over water. Being a descendant of Poseidon, she had some control over water. She could bend it and force it to do what she wanted. One of her favorite exercises was to gather a large amount of water into a ball and hold it above the pond for as long as she could. Raphael sometimes watched while she practiced, but most of the time Hannah went alone. At the present moment, she was holding two balls of water, trying to focus on both of them at the same time. They were hovering at different levels in the air, and she was trying to keep them level. She tried to lift the left one, but her focus on the right one slipped and it fell a few inches.

"Dammit," she cursed through clenched teeth. Sweat trickled down her forehead, getting into her eyes and mouth. She moved them so they were close to level...they were within inches of being equal...she _almost_ had it...

"Dude, Hannah!" a voice exclaimed behind her. It startled her so badly that she completely lost focus and the balls of water crashed back into the pond, splashing up on her and soaking her to the bone. She stared at the two spots where the balls of water had been, her green eyes wide and disbelieving. Slowly, she turned to the source of her sudden anger.

Michelangelo held up his hands in a surrendering gesture, slowly backing away from her. "Uh...s-sorry, Han, I didn't mean to interrupt..."

Hannah narrowed her eyes and swung her arm, causing a large wave of water to slam into him and knock him back into a tree. When the water receded, leaving Mikey coughing, Hannah stood over him with a smirk. She helped him up and patted him on the shell.

"Next time," she told him curtly. "Warn me before you break my concentration."

"D-deal," he sputtered.

After two long days of rest, Master Splinter decided to take a trip to the Battle Nexus to see his friend the Daimyo. Splinter had gotten word (somehow through meditation) that he was to be an honored guest at the next Tournament, and as such he would be in charge of assisting the Daimyo in judging the contest. He gave his family instructions not to be seen, not to be careless, and to wait for him to get back before doing anything of importance. However, as soon as he'd left, the four brothers went for a long romp in the woods around the house. They started slacking off more and more – even Leo wasn't making them all do daily _katas_ in the mornings.

Despite all the jovial attitudes, Donatello was not the same. He was still coming off the caffeine, and he frequently had headaches too severe for him to get out of bed. He was always tired, and always in a bad mood. The others had just decided to avoid him.

He was getting desperate.

One morning he walked into the kitchen, aiming to make himself some breakfast, when a certain familiar smell hit him and made him stop in his tracks.

In the weeks since Leo's almost-forced intervention, the family had taken great measures not to drink or make any coffee around him. But apparently no one had gotten the memo that morning. The coffeepot was brewing, and the smell of the liquid gold was making Donnie feel all...tingly. (He could have found a better word, but his mind was currently more occupied with other things.) He took two steps toward the pot, but stopped himself from actually pouring himself a cup.

_Think of how far you've come,_ a voice in his head told him. _Three weeks with no coffee...you can do it. Just walk away._

_But what about how bad you've been feeling? All the headaches, the crabbiness...it would be so easy to just give in and take a cup...or four. _

Don shook his head and stepped back from the coffee pot. He didn't need it. He had never been this close to kicking the habit completely...he'd always relapsed in the past by this time. He walked away from the pot, but suddenly jolted to a stop in the doorway of the room. It was as if he physically couldn't go any further.

_Go get the coffee you idiot._

That was it. He was tired of feeling bad all the time, all the headaches and sickness...all he needed was a cup. One measly little cup of coffee.

He crossed back to the pot and grabbed a mug, thanking whatever gods above for whoever forgot about the no-coffee rule.

…

Sloan sighed as she slumped down at the kitchen table, dropping her bag on the floor. Mikey was already working on dinner, and he grinned as she put her dusty boots up in the chair across from hers.

"Rough day?"

"You have no idea," she groaned back. "We had three big groups come to ride, and they all needed everything adjusted. My fingers hurt from securing saddles and moving stirrups." She rubbed her hands together. "And guess who had to groom all those horses _three times_."

"Aw, you poor thing." Raphael ruffled her hair as he came into the room. He stopped when he didn't see his girlfriend. "Hey, where's Hannah?"

"Still at the stable," Sloan told him. "She took over grooming the last few horses for me. She said she didn't want me on my feet that much."

Raph chuckled as he sat down at the table as well. "I guess if she can't be a real mom, she's gonna try her hardest ta be yours."

Sloan laughed. "Yeah, I – "

A thump from above cut her off. All three of them looked up at the ceiling curiously.

"Hey, Raph?" Sloan asked slowly, not taking her eyes off the ceiling. "Where are Leo and Emily?"

"I think he's workin' wit' her an' her letters in the livin' room..."

"And Casey and April are outside in the garden."

"So who – "

Another thump, and this time it was followed by a short yelp. All three of them jumped up and headed for the stairs. They searched the second floor, calling Donatello's name (for who else would be inside?). When they couldn't find him on the second floor, they went straight for his room on the third.

Sloan was amazed that they'd been able to hear him from so far away. He must have been making a large amount of noise for it to travel all the way to the kitchen. She knocked on his door first, but Raph stepped around her and threw open the door. The trio walked into the dark room, but immediately froze as they witnessed the scene before them.

Donnie had pushed all the furniture to the side and was currently lying on the floor with five different blueprints around him. Empty thermoses and mugs littered the floor around him, and the smell of coffee permeated the air. The genius turtle was muttering to himself, crawling from one drawing to another and making adjustments where he thought they were needed.

"Ha!" Mikey said behind Sloan. "Pay up, Raphy!"

Raphael muttered something not very nice and gave Michelangelo a five dollar bill.

Sloan slowly moved forward and knelt beside Donnie. "Uh...Don?"

Bloodshot hazel eyes turned to Sloan, and he immediately latched onto her. "Sloan! I've got _so many_ ideas, and I just had to get them on paper before I forgot them!"

"Oh...o-okay, Donnie – "

"But now there's nothing to draw! I've made them all as good as they can be." He gestured to the papers around him, then grabbed Sloan's arms. "My mind needs stimulation! It rebels at stagnation! Give me problems, give me work! I need it, Sloan!"

"Did he just quote 'Sherlock Holmes'?" Raph muttered. Mikey shrugged.

Sloan gently pried Don's hands off her. "Donatello, why don't you go for a run. Or do some _katas _or something, okay? You can't stay cooped up here going on a coffee binge..." She glanced around at the empty thermoses. "Though I think it's too late for that."

Mikey and Raph stepped forward and helped Don off the floor and began to gently lead him out. Sloan followed and closed the door behind her, sighing.

"Well," she heard Mikey say to his older brother. "It was kinda nice while it lasted."

The red-head smiled grimly. Apparently it was impossible to get Don to stop drinking coffee. It was just one of those things that would always be infallible about him. Like Mikey and his comic books, or Raph and his semi-bad attitude. She smiled wider as she heard the trio of turtles come in contact with their oldest brother, laughing at Leo's expression when he glimpsed the genius turtle.

"Well," Leo said as Sloan went to stand by his side. They watched Mikey and Raph escort Don outside for a work-out. "I guess you can't take it out of him." He wrapped an arm around Sloan's shoulders.

"Not at all," she answered. She leaned up and kissed her fiance on the cheek. "But, I honestly think it's better this way. He'll be back to his normal self in no time."

…

The next morning, Don sat down at the kitchen table and set his head on the wood. He'd come off the caffeine high some time that previous night, and had awoken with an awful headache. Dimly he wondered if it was possible to get hung over from coffee.

The sound of a banging door and someone pounding down the stairs made his head throb, and he found the answer to his question.

"Don'tello!" a little voice called loudly.

He suppressed a groan as he sat up to allow Emily to clamor up into his lap.

"Em, can you use your inside voice for me? My head hurts."

"Okay Don'tello!" she stage-whispered. Don couldn't help but smile.

"_There_ you are," Sloan said softly as she came into the kitchen. She picked up the little girl and set her on her hip, then turned to the genius turtle. "How ya feelin'?"

He waved a hand back and forth. "Eh."

She grinned. "I'll make you something before we go."

Don turned in his chair and followed her with his eyes. She set her sister down on the kitchen counter and turned to the fridge to make him a sandwich.

"Go where?" he asked.

"Hannah and I are off today, so we're taking Emily, Casey, 'n April around the mountain area." She closed the refrigerator door, her hands laden with ingredients. "Or, really, _I'm_ taking them."

"Huh."

She finished making his sandwich and set it down in front of him. "I really wish you could go, darlin'." She bent and planted a kiss on the top of his head, patting his shell comfortingly.

"I'll find something to do," he answered, suddenly noticing how hungry he was. He took a large bite of the sandwich, admiring at how Sloan could make something as simple as a sandwich into such a delicacy. "'Sides, I've got to make sense of those blueprints I made yesterday."

Sloan laughed as she was putting Emily's shoes on. "Yeah, you have fun with that."

He grinned and was about to ask her where they were going when his phone rang. Thinking it was his younger brother calling from the third floor to bring him food because he was too lazy to make it down to the kitchen, Don answered.

"Mikey, if you think for one second that I'm going to – "

"Hello, _turtle_." A horribly familiar voice cut him off.

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><p><strong>Ba-Ba-BA-daaaaaaaammm! Ooooh it's gettin good y'all. Reviews are welcome, even if it is the second to last chapter!<strong>


	32. I Call BullThe Letter

**Well, here we are everyone, the last chapter of "In Her Grasp". Be looking for part three coming soon! (It'll definitely be up by Halloween!) I'm also going to post a list of songs used in the story, and I've actually made a character themes video for TMNT that I may put on Youtube. Look under the name "fiddlelady91". Okay, thank you so much to all my reviewers/favoriters, I'm so glad you all liked this story! I hope you find part 3 as enjoyable as well! **

**And now, a smiley with a mustache. :{).**

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><p><em>"Stronger than any fear or doubt, it's changing everything I see.<br>It's changing you, it's changing me...  
>Baby, giving you my heart<br>Is a real fine place to start."  
>~Real Fine Place To Start by Sara Evans (and Radney Foster)<em>

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><p>"We're all here now, Hun," Leo said. "What do you want?"<p>

The leader of the Purple Dragons had instructed Donnie to gather his brothers, and they figured Sloan would want to be there as well. They were now gathered around the table with Donatello's phone plugged up to a set of speakers.

"And how did you get this number?" Don demanded.

"You have yer tech guy," Hun replied. "An' I got mine."

"_What_ do you _want_?" Sloan reiterated. She was beyond pissed off at this point. She wasn't ready to deal with any of the Dragon nonsense that she'd discovered, and hearing from the burly man himself was reminding her of it all over again.

"Ah, Sloan," Hun said. "Good. Yer here too. How's Em – "

"Don't you _dare_ say her name, you bastard."

Hun paused, and Sloan noticed with a little satisfaction that he seemed rattled by her forcefulness. He cleared his throat, and began to speak again.

"Look, I know I ain't been the nicest guy ta you...guys." It was clear that he was having trouble speaking politely (well, as politely as he _could_) to the brothers. Sloan crossed her arms and looked at the phone with contempt, waiting for him to go on.

"Da truth is, an' Sloan ya hafta try an' fergive me fer dis – "

"Fat chance," Mikey muttered beside her.

"I knew yer dad. He was a Dragon."

Sloan didn't move her gaze from the phone. She was stronger than this, stronger than her father's past secrets. "I know. I found a picture of you at my parents' wedding." She swallowed hard. "Is that why you warned Leo that Shredder was looking for me? Did you feel guilty for killing my parents...your apparent _friends_? Or was that a lie too?"

Silence on the other line. Sloan couldn't believe it. Had she actually been able to hit a nerve with the giant hulk of a man? She hadn't thought he cared that much.

Hun began to speak again, and something had changed in his voice. "Sloan, I'm sorry. Had I known it was you an' Em – an' yer sister dat Shredder wanted, I woulda stopped him."

"No you wouldn't," Sloan answered. "Or else you would have stood up to him when we'd been captured, when they took Emily away from me."

"I had ta put on a front fer dat. If da Boss knew that I knew you two, he woulda hurt you even more jus' ta get ta me."

"Sure, because it's _all_ about you."

"Would ya shut up an' _listen_ ta me?!" Hun suddenly shouted. "I know I'm an asshole an' a bad guy. I gotta be in order ta keep my Dragons in line. But, dammit Sloan, yer dad an' I were _friends_. I was his best man at yer parents' wedding. When he wanted ta be a cop, I didn't say two words about it. When he tried ta help da Dragons, I begged him not to compromise his past an' his kids' futures by screwin' his career up." Hun exhaled sharply, his voice shaking. "When...when he knew da cops were on ta him, I...I _begged_ him not ta go the way he did...but..."

"What about my mother?" Sloan asked. She hated that the hard edge to her voice that she'd had earlier had disappeared. "Why did she have to die?"

"Yer mom – God rest her soul – she was a real angel, Sloan."

"I know, I spent seventeen years with her. Why did she have to _die_?"

"Some'a the boys. They...they thought they were doin' a good thing...Jack was found out, they thought his wife knew Dragon secrets too. I couldn't stop 'em in time." Hun sniffed, and Sloan noticed all the incredulous looks the turtles were giving the phone.

"Is Hun actually _crying_?" Raphael asked.

"Yer Dad...I was da one who k-killed em. I had to, it was Dragon law. When... when he died, he told me ta take care a' you girls. That he didn't want you mixed up in all a dis."

Beside her, Mikey squeezed her hand comfortingly. She hadn't realized that he'd taken her hand; she'd been to engrossed in Hun's story. She took a deep breath, her anger suddenly showing again.

"Then why the hell did you let them kidnap us?" she demanded.

"I can't help what my masta wants," Hun answered, thrown off by her outburst. "I'd hoped dat I could find ya a place where you an' yer sister could be together...but dat plan backfired an'...an' the masta wanted yer sister. There wasn't nothin' I could do."

"Don't you dare play the victim here, you selfish bastard. If my father told you to take care of us, then why did – " Her voice caught in her throat. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Why – " She couldn't do it. She shut her mouth and stared at the phone as if she could drill holes in it with her eyes. Mikey shifted her hand in his, and Leo stepped around Raph to put his arm around her.

"I..." Hun started. "Sloan, I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean much now, but I needed ta tell ya. I truly am sorry fer those two weeks."

"Bullshit," she said. "If you think that I'm just going to accept what you're saying – if it's the truth or not – you're dead wrong. You let them _beat _me, _hurt_ me, and r..._rape _me. They almost hurt _my four-year-old_ _sister_. If you think I'm going to forgive you for allowing that to happen...there's something wrong. I'm not going to sit here and listen to you playing the friggin' _victim _in all this." She sighed. "Now, I suggest you get on with the _real_ reason you called, 'cause it sure as hell wasn't to try to apologize to me."

More silence. Finally, after a long pause, Hun spoke again.

"Shredder's stopped lookin' fer ya. He hasn't found the turtles' hideout, an' he isn't sending scouts into the city anymore. It's safe fer you ta come home."

"For some reason, I don't think any of us are ready to trust you," Leo told him.

"Look! I got ya outta the city in time, didn't I? Kept Sloan from bein' found. I got the scars ta prove that Shredder hasn't found nothin'! Friggin' come home already!" He growled. "The city kinda needs ya."

The turtles looks and Don reached for the phone.

"We'll think about it," he said. "In the meantime, you need to delete this number." And he hung up.

Sloan sighed and lowered herself shakily into one of the kitchen chairs. She hid her face in her hands. "That sucked."

"Yer tellin' me," Raph answered. "I dunno if we can trust the info or not."

"His warning in New York proved right," Leo mused, placing a hand on Sloan's shoulder. "But why would he help us a second time?"

"Well, if you believe his story about Sloan's parents, then I think that kind of explains it. He wants to make sure Sloan is safe." Don laced his fingers together and put his hands against his mouth. "But this _is_ Hun we're talking about, and I don't know if we should fully trust him."

Sloan dropped her hands and suddenly stood. "We can't stay here forever. Even if he wasn't telling the complete truth, he was right. The city needs you guys...and honestly I'm tired of being here."

"But...Sloan," Mikey began hesitantly. "I thought you loved the mountains. You were gonna take Casey and April and Hannah on a tour of the area today."

"I suddenly don't feel like it today, Mike." She ignored the looks the brothers gave her as she moved to leave the kitchen. "You guys know my opinion. I'll leave you to decide."

…

Two hours later, Leo found her sitting in the middle of the now-clean attic. She was hunched over, staring at the letter her mother had left her. Wordlessly Leonardo sank down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"When are you going to open it?" Leo asked softly.

She shrugged. "Eventually. Just with everything that happened today, I don't really want to right now. It's...all too fresh."

He was surprised at the strength in her voice. He'd thought that she'd gone off by herself to cry and re-mourn in peace, but it seemed like she'd just been thinking. Leo rubbed small circles on her arm. "Are you afraid of what it might say?"

She shook her head. "I don't think it'll be anything that I haven't heard before," she answered. "It's just...they're _her_ words, y'know? I'm a little nervous to find out what my mother had to _write down_ to tell me. Why couldn't she just come and talk to me? Unless she wrote this when I was really young, or before I was born." Sloan sat back, looking down at the envelope. "What was so important that she had to hide it under the vanity table, away from my father and her parents?"

Leo kissed her cheek, then suddenly drew her back. She tried to stifle her giggle as they fell back against the floor. Leo drew her close and kissed her forehead.

"Maybe you should open it and find out," he said against her skin.

"Mm...Not yet. It...doesn't feel right."

Leo reached down and took her Open Triad pendant in his fingers. He ran his thumb over the face, tracing the intricate lines in the design. "If you say so. By the way, we made a decision."

"Really?"

The blue-masked turtle nodded. "We're going to head home after July. Give the city another month before we get back...and to make Shredder and Hun think we're _not_ coming back."

"But you guys love the city," Sloan told him. "Surely the Shredder knows that you won't stay away long. He knows you'll be back."

"Yes," Leo answered slowly. "But by waiting and going back later than Hun wanted, we're hoping that we'll throw them off and make it safer for us..." He took her chin in his hand and lifted her face to his. "...and for you."

She nodded. "I know."

He kissed her, drawing her close and crushing the Triad pendant between them. After a long moment, Leo pulled back.

"If anything happened to you – especially if I could have stopped it," he began breathlessly. "I wouldn't be able to go on."

"Leo – "

He cut her off with another kiss, this one much more passionate. He didn't know where these sudden feelings were coming from, but he hoped he was making Sloan feel better. He could feel her heart beating against the back of his hand where it was pressed against her chest. He let go of the pendant and moved his hands to her hips, gently moving her to lay on top of him.

"Hang on," she stopped him, a hand on his plastron. "We can't get carried away, Leo. Okay?"

He was actually disappointed. He kind of wanted to get carried away while they could. Before Sloan was unable to because of her pregnancy, before they left for the city and got back to nightly patrols.

"But I want you."

She raised an eyebrow at him "Uh huh. You can wait."

He made a show of pouting, but eventually grinned and helped her roll off him.

"Come on, let's go back downstairs," he said, taking her hand and pulling her off the floor. She smiled as she stuck her mother's letter in her back pocket and followed him down the ladder.

They would return to New York in a month, but they were going to make the most of that last month in North Carolina. Leo had a few plans for their time left at the old house, and he wanted to spend as much of it with Sloan as possible.

He and Sloan made it back to the kitchen, where Hannah was now sitting on Raph's lap and Emily on Donnie's, and the entire group was watching Mikey do impressions by his favorite comedians. He was actually pretty good at Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey. Leo sat down in a chair beside Raph and pulled Sloan into his lap, enjoying the small family time. He wrapped is arms around her waist and rested his head against her shoulder. She grinned down at him, then laughed with the others at Michelangelo.

For the moment, life was good. And it would stay good for the next month, until they went back to New York.

~*THE END*~

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><p><strong>yaaaaaaaaaay! Review pleeeeease!<strong>


	33. List of Songs

List of Songs.

Chapter 3

Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars

Chapter 4 (Because that's when I decided to make this a musical story):

Sweet Sacrifice by Evanescence

Chapter 5

Sally's Song by Fiona Apple

Chapter 6

Get Out Alive by Three Days Grace

Chapter 7

? (didn't put one here...)

Chapter 8

If I Fall by Amber Pacific

Chapter 9

After the Storm by Mumford and Sons

Chapter 10

? (again...no song...why? **Shrugs** no idea)

Chapter 11

Rainbow Connection by The Muppets

Chapter 12

Never Say Never by The Fray

Chapter 13

True Colors by the cast of Glee (and Cindi Lauper)

Chapter 14

Dear John by Taylor Swift

Chapter 15

It was a youtube video!

Chapter 16

Edge of Desire by John Mayer

Chapter 17

You're An Angel, And I'm Gonna Cry by Chris Thile

Chapter 18

(kinda) Something Like Olivia by John Mayer

Chapter 19

I'm Still Here by John Rzeznik

Chapter 20

I Need You To Love Me by BarlowGirl

Chapter 21

Asleep At Last by The Wailin' Jennys

Chapter 22

Walking the Night by Celtic Women

Chapter 23

Let It Fall by Sean Watkins

Chapter 24

Too Good To Be True by Edens Edge

Chapter 25

The Heart of Life by John Mayer

Chapter 26

A Place Only You Can Go by NEEDTOBREATHE

Chapter 27

Wrapped In Your Arms by Fireflight

Chapter 28

Home by Philip Phillips

Chapter 29

Ten Mile Stilts by The Wailin' Jennys

Chapter 30

Mr. Bright Side by The Killers

Chapter 31

Mighty Fine Blues by The Eels

Chapter 32

Real Fine Place to Start by Sara Evans

And, now, a playlist for Sloan :)

Here by BarlowGirl  
>2. Set Apart This Dream by Flyleaf<br>3. Minstrel Boy by Enter The Haggis  
>4. Jimmy's Bucket by Gaelic Storm<br>5. Rag And Bone by Gaelic Storm  
>6. Good Girl by Carrie Underwood<br>7. Come And Save Me by Gloriana  
>8. American Honey by Lady Antebellum<br>, Oh My by The Wreckers  
>10. If I Ever Leave This World Alive by Flogging Molly<br>11. Racing The Tide by The Elders  
>12. Irish Air by Fiddler's Green<br>13. Something Beautiful by Great Big Sea  
>14. LukeyLukaloney by Great Big Sea feat. The Cheiftans  
>15. Half-pint Jig by Hans Bolex<br>16. Congress Reel by Poiton  
>17. While You Were SleepingThe Breathing Method/The Jaunt by The Paperboys  
>18. The Foggy Dew by The Young Dubliners<br>19. Some Nights by Fun  
>20. Feeling Good by Muse<br>21. Must Have Done Something Right by Relient K  
>22. Kiss Me Again (feat. Alex Gaskarth) by We Are The In Crowd<p> 


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